This web browser is not supported. Use Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Firefox for best results.

SOFT OPTIONS

New York Times, Sunday, April 3, 2022

Author:
Byron Walden
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
48-Across : Black-___ albatross
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.

Found bugs or have suggestions? Please let us know.

Like this puzzle? Please share this page on social media to help spread the word about XWord Info. Thanks!

XWord Info Home
XWord Info © 2007-2024, Jim Horne
96 ms