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SOFT OPTIONS

New York Times, Sunday, April 3, 2022

Author:
Byron Walden
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
43-Across : À la ___ (spit-roasted)
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
10811/23/20014/6/202415
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
1412393697
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
321.591,28194%
Byron Walden

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 132, Blocks: 62 Missing: none – this is a pangram. This is puzzle # 103 for Mr. Walden. Sunday freshness: 99%
Will Shortz notes:
Byron Walden, a math and computer science professor at Santa Clara University, is a regular crossword contributor to The Times. He says the idea for this puzzle started with the title. "I ... read more
Byron Walden notes:
Back in 2005, I used the clue [Shroud of Torino?] for CAR COVER. On the old Times Forum and Crossword Fiend, then in its rookie year, a poster vituperatively objected to the cheeky ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
SOFT OPTIONS is an apt title for this puzzle, in many ways. Most importantly, when parsed as S OF T OPTIONS, it explains that each of the eight themers follow a three-word pattern, where ... read more
1
L
2
I
3
F
4
T
5
U
6
P
7
P
8
F
9
F
10
T
11
P
12
E
13
L
14
T
15
S
16
W
17
A
18
N
19
A
C
R
O
S
S
20
R
E
A
R
21
W
I
P
E
R
22
C
E
C
E
23
S
E
A
O
F
T
24
R
A
N
Q
U
I
L
I
T
Y
25
H
E
I
R
26
T
B
I
L
L
27
A
I
D
S
28
R
O
C
S
29
S
O
U
N
D
30
I
L
L
S
31
A
P
S
E
32
S
E
T
S
O
33
F
T
O
N
G
S
34
N
U
T
35
S
U
P
E
R
36
V
H
S
37
N
E
A
L
38
G
E
Y
39
S
E
R
E
D
40
E
R
A
41
S
42
E
43
B
R
O
44
C
45
H
46
E
47
T
E
A
R
48
B
R
O
W
E
D
49
R
E
F
L
E
X
50
U
51
N
52
L
A
D
E
53
J
E
S
U
S
L
I
54
K
E
55
T
E
A
T
56
N
E
A
R
S
57
R
U
N
E
D
58
T
A
Z
59
H
A
V
E
60
D
O
C
S
61
S
A
N
D
S
O
62
F
63
T
I
M
E
64
O
N
I
N
65
E
S
T
O
66
O
R
K
67
F
A
U
N
A
68
M
U
S
E
D
69
R
O
O
F
70
B
A
D
71
R
72
A
T
I
N
G
73
T
I
G
E
R
S
74
G
U
S
T
75
A
F
76
N
O
D
U
L
E
77
S
E
T
H
78
O
L
E
O
L
E
79
A
N
D
R
E
80
F
A
S
T
T
81
A
82
L
83
K
84
M
O
S
85
T
86
W
I
D
87
E
O
U
T
S
88
D
E
E
89
S
90
O
91
N
O
F
T
A
92
R
93
Z
A
N
94
A
R
R
S
95
P
A
N
E
96
A
V
E
R
T
97
P
E
E
T
98
A
R
C
O
99
G
A
M
I
N
100
L
I
A
R
101
S
T
A
T
E
102
O
F
T
E
N
103
N
E
S
S
E
E
104
E
N
T
O
105
R
A
D
A
R
T
R
A
P
106
A
N
T
O
N
Y
107
M
E
O
W
108
S
P
Y
S
109
C
O
G
S
110
E
X
A
N
T
E
© 2022, The New York Times4/3/22 ( No. 26,444 )
Across
1
Hearten : LIFTUP
7
"... and it flopped" : PFFT
11
Attack with snowballs, say : PELT
15
Graceful bird : SWAN
19
Crossword header : ACROSS
20
Clearer in hindsight? : REARWIPER
22
___ Winans, 12-time Grammy-winning gospel singer : CECE
23
Apollo 11 landing spot : SEAOFTRANQUILITY
25
Eligible receiver? : HEIR
26
Quickly maturing security, for short : TBILL
27
Helps : AIDS
28
Flying terrors of myth : ROCS
29
With 42-Down, Oscars category from 1963 to 2019 : SOUND
30
Misfortunes : ILLS
31
Semicircular recess : APSE
32
Items used by barkeepers, barbecuers and blacksmiths : SETSOFTONGS
34
Wackadoodle : NUT
35
Enhanced tape format released in 1987 : SUPERVHS
37
Beat poet Cassady : NEAL
38
Spewed forcefully : GEYSERED
40
Take off the board : ERASE
43
À la ___ (spit-roasted) : BROCHE
47
Spree : TEAR
48
Black-___ albatross : BROWED
49
Knee-jerk response : REFLEX
50
Remove cargo from : UNLADE
53
Describing the 32-Down's image : JESUSLIKE
55
Milk source : TEAT
56
Impends : NEARS
57
Inscribed with some ancient characters : RUNED
58
Whirling toon, familiarly : TAZ
59
Order, in a way : HAVE
60
Nonfiction films, informally : DOCS
61
Metaphor from an hourglass : SANDSOFTIME
64
"Come ___!" : ONIN
65
This: Sp. : ESTO
66
Sitcom planet of the '70s and '80s : ORK
67
Animal life : FAUNA
68
Pondered : MUSED
69
It's probably over your head : ROOF
70
One star, typically : BADRATING
73
Relentless go-getters : TIGERS
74
Carl XVI ___ (king of Sweden beginning in 1973) : GUSTAF
76
Little bump : NODULE
77
Eve's third son : SETH
78
Soccer chant : OLEOLE
79
___ 3000, half of the hip-hop duo Outkast : ANDRE
80
Persuade with patter : FASTTALK
84
A majority : MOST
86
Offensive football positions : WIDEOUTS
88
Ruby of "The Jackie Robinson Story" : DEE
89
Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, with "The" : SONOFTARZAN
94
Talk Like a Pirate Day outbursts : ARRS
95
Dormer section : PANE
96
Turn aside : AVERT
97
Actress Amanda : PEET
98
Taking a bow at the symphony? : ARCO
99
Waif : GAMIN
100
"A warehouse of facts, with poet and ___ in joint ownership" ("The Devil's Dictionary" definition for "imagination") : LIAR
101
Its motto is "Agriculture and Commerce" : STATEOFTENNESSEE
104
Opposite of exo- : ENTO
105
Woe for a speeder : RADARTRAP
106
___ Blinken, Biden's secretary of state : ANTONY
107
Bit of "kit chat" : MEOW
108
1974 spoof with the tagline "Would you buy a used secret from these men?" : SPYS
109
Bits of machinery : COGS
110
Latin phrase meaning "based on forecasts" : EXANTE
Down
1
Having legs : LASTING
2
Cool shade : ICEBLUE
3
Weakness : FRAILTY
4
Sledge, wedge, etc. : TOOLS
5
Sports org. with the Pittsburgh Maulers and Philadelphia Stars : USFL
6
SFO setting: Abbr. : PST
7
Sang hosannas to : PRAISED
8
Car part the Brits call a "wing" : FENDER
9
Heading for commonly sought info : FAQS
10
Capote nickname : TRU
11
___ light : PILOT
12
Sweeping works : EPICS
13
Reveals : LETSON
14
Don't give up : TRY
15
Intellectual movement : SCHOOLOFTHOUGHT
16
Tyke : WEEUN
17
Performing well on : ACING
18
Candy with two flavors in one box : NERDS
21
Flexible cutters : WIRESAWS
24
Kid Cudi or Lil Baby, e.g. : RAPPER
29
Fixed look : STARE
31
Enveloping atmospheres : AURAE
32
Pope Pius XII called it "a holy thing perhaps like nothing else" : SHROUDOFTURIN
33
Odor-fighting spray brand : FEBREZE
35
Parts of some brackets : SEEDS
36
"Yankee Doodle" has 16 of them : VERSES
39
Entertainers with bright futures : STARSOFTOMORROW
41
Partner of poivre : SEL
42
See 29-Across : EDITING
44
Juice regimen : CLEANSE
45
Like épées vis-à-vis foils : HEAVIER
46
Stretches out : EXTENDS
48
Curve : BEND
50
Experience : UNDERGO
51
Music genre for Erykah Badu and D'Angelo : NEOSOUL
52
Many people find it intolerable : LACTOSE
53
About 98% of the human genome : JUNKDNA
54
Word meaning "desire" in a classic Sanskrit text : KAMA
57
___ avis : RARA
61
Big tear-jerker : SOBFEST
62
Went under : FAILED
63
Word with fine or signature : TUNE
68
Hands, in slang : MITTS
71
1980s White House nickname : RON
72
Dilute something, in a way : ADDWATER
73
Battery parts? : TESTS
75
Up in the air : ALOFT
77
Maker of the Ring in "The Lord of the Rings" : SAURON
80
Surgical instrument with thumbholes : FORCEPS
81
Joy who wrote "Born Free" : ADAMSON
82
Forgiving : LENIENT
83
Talent for discernment : KEENEYE
85
Mic check noise : TAPTAP
87
Cattle ranch identifier : EARTAG
89
"The Crucible" setting : SALEM
90
Sheepish? : OVINE
91
"Swell!" : NEATO
92
"I can do this. Hit me" : READY
93
Some 10-pointers in Greek Scrabble : ZETAS
95
Dish made from durum, say : PASTA
98
Prefix with futurism : AFRO
99
Kids of boomers : GENX
101
Grads-to-be: Abbr. : SRS
102
Not prescription, in brief : OTC
103
Scottish negative : NAE

Answer summary:
19 unique to this puzzle, 5 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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