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Words, Words, Words: A Themeless

New York Times, Sunday, June 11, 2023

Author:
Sam Ezersky
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
77-Across : Onetime Ringling Brothers employee
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
577/28/201211/10/20249
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
8213572011
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
221.7147990%
Sam Ezersky

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 118, Blocks: 71 Missing: {QXZ} This is puzzle # 50 for Mr. Ezersky. Sunday freshness: 100%
Will Shortz notes:
Sam Ezersky is the digital puzzles editor for The Times. Besides helping with the crossword, he oversees other daily Times games like Spelling Bee and Letter Boxed. This themeless grid ... read more
Sam Ezersky notes:
As Will notes in the Magazine blurb, this grid contains the lowest answer count (118) in Times Sunday history. (For reference, most of these 21x21 crosswords contain around 140 answers, ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
And buckle up I did! Sam often brings me to the brink of defeat with his Saturday challenges — his spheres of knowledge sometimes have little overlap with mine. I struggled mightily ... read more
1
T
2
O
3
B
4
A
5
C
6
C
7
O
8
H
9
A
10
S
11
P
12
L
13
A
14
N
15
S
16
C
O
A
U
T
H
O
R
17
B
A
C
K
R
O
N
Y
M
18
S
H
O
R
T
H
A
U
L
19
S
A
S
H
A
O
B
A
M
A
20
B
A
R
T
S
T
A
R
R
21
R
E
D
H
O
T
P
O
K
E
R
22
O
V
O
23
W
E
N
T
T
24
O
E
T
O
T
O
E
25
I
T
T
26
C
O
N
27
C
O
R
D
28
C
I
C
A
D
A
S
29
P
30
A
N
S
Y
31
A
R
O
O
M
32
C
A
L
L
L
O
G
33
C
A
M
34
G
E
35
T
36
S
O
M
E
A
I
R
37
T
A
R
O
38
T
39
S
40
S
41
K
42
I
N
N
I
E
R
43
D
I
M
44
S
O
L
D
A
S
I
45
S
46
C
O
M
O
47
K
A
N
48
T
49
M
I
50
C
H
E
L
51
M
U
L
L
52
O
O
H
S
53
I
L
E
A
54
C
55
T
U
R
N
A
56
A
R
E
A
57
O
P
E
C
58
B
I
L
B
A
59
O
60
D
U
A
L
61
S
I
N
K
62
B
A
R
E
63
S
A
L
L
64
U
N
65
M
66
B
I
O
67
W
A
S
T
E
68
S
E
N
T
R
Y
69
A
L
G
A
70
L
B
L
O
O
M
71
T
I
S
72
D
I
D
O
K
A
Y
73
N
A
74
T
75
T
76
Y
77
T
78
A
79
M
E
R
80
S
O
R
R
I
E
R
81
F
82
A
T
T
I
R
E
83
A
C
U
84
D
A
I
K
O
N
R
A
85
D
I
S
H
86
D
E
G
87
J
U
S
88
T
89
K
I
D
D
I
N
G
90
J
U
N
K
E
91
T
I
N
G
92
I
N
T
R
O
C
L
A
S
S
93
S
E
M
I
S
W
E
E
T
94
K
I
D
A
C
T
O
R
S
95
C
A
B
S
T
A
N
D
96
S
T
O
P
H
A
T
E
97
I
N
S
H
O
R
T
© 2023, The New York Times6/11/23 ( No. 26,878 )
Across
1
Major crop of North Carolina : TOBACCO
8
Is already booked : HASPLANS
16
Pen pal? : COAUTHOR
17
CARES, for Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, e.g. : BACKRONYM
18
Easy trucking distance : SHORTHAUL
19
White House daughter whom the Secret Service called "Rosebud" : SASHAOBAMA
20
First-ever Super Bowl M.V.P. (1967) : BARTSTARR
21
Flower whose name sounds like a branding iron : REDHOTPOKER
22
___ Sound, record label co-founded by Drake : OVO
23
Faced off : WENTTOETOTOE
25
Industrial conglomerate or its symbol on the New York Stock Exchange : ITT
26
Agreement : CONCORD
28
Ants : colony :: ___ : plague : CICADAS
29
Flower with a "face" : PANSY
31
"Get ___, you two!" : AROOM
32
Listing of recent phone history : CALLLOG
33
Nickname that omits -eron : CAM
34
Step outside for a bit : GETSOMEAIR
37
Fortunetelling decks : TAROTS
40
Not as thick : SKINNIER
43
Rather thick : DIM
44
Price tag caveat (buyer beware!) : SOLDASIS
46
How, in Oaxaca : COMO
47
Philosopher who wrote "Critique of Pure Reason" : KANT
49
Mont-Saint-___, France : MICHEL
51
Make warm and add spice to, as wine : MULL
52
Excited cries : OOHS
53
Related to part of the small intestine : ILEAC
55
Words before corner or profit : TURNA
56
Turf : AREA
57
Grp. with barrels : OPEC
58
Port city in Spain's Basque Country : BILBAO
60
Serving two purposes : DUAL
61
Garbage disposal spot : SINK
62
Doesn't hide anything : BARESALL
64
Sch. in Albuquerque : UNM
66
Detritus from a hospital : BIOWASTE
68
Guard : SENTRY
69
Harmful aquatic overgrowth : ALGALBLOOM
71
Poetic contraction : TIS
72
Managed just fine : DIDOKAY
73
Sharply dressed : NATTY
77
Onetime Ringling Brothers employee : TAMER
80
More pathetic : SORRIER
81
Beer brand with a bicycle in its logo : FATTIRE
83
Lead-in to puncture : ACU
84
Root vegetable in Asian cuisine : DAIKONRADISH
86
º: Abbr. : DEG
87
Joker's catchphrase : JUSTKIDDING
90
Going on extravagant trips, as a politician might : JUNKETING
92
93
Like some chocolate : SEMISWEET
94
Minor players? : KIDACTORS
95
Where drivers might wait in line : CABSTAND
96
Modern-day antiviolence slogan : STOPHATE
97
"To summarize ..." : INSHORT
Down
1
Call from a tugboat : TOOT
2
Some boat crew members : OARSWOMEN
3
Stick in the fridge? : BUTTER
4
Close by : ATHAND
5
Data analyst's creation : CHART
6
A&E docuseries with footage of criminal trials : COURTCAM
7
The Magic, on scoreboards : ORL
8
Status symbol? : HASHTAG
9
Elicitors of some blessings : ACHOOS
10
Move on ice : SKATE
11
Macbeth's dagger or Desdemona's handkerchief, e.g. : PROP
12
Spanish for "wolf" : LOBO
13
Winner of the podrace in "Star Wars: Episode I" : ANAKIN
14
Team seen in Queens, in brief : NYMETS
15
Know-it-all : SMARTY
16
Prefix meaning "time" : CHRONO
17
Foul smell : BADODOR
18
Really relish : SAVOR
19
Draw the line somewhere, say : SETALIMIT
20
South Florida city, to locals : BOCA
21
Take back : RECLAIM
24
De-squeaked : OILED
27
Expert, from the Italian : COGNOSCENTE
29
Pal in cowboy-speak : PARD
30
Trio in a Latin learner's lesson : AMOAMASAMAT
32
Ivy seen among cliffs : CORNELL
33
Caribbean stew : CALLALOO
35
Beachside watering holes : TIKIBARS
36
Marine animal that resembles a flower : SEALILY
37
Pedicure target : TOENAIL
38
Yiddish trouble : TSURIS
39
Cellphone setting : SILENT
40
Shaggy's dog, to Shaggy : SCOOB
41
Turtlelike foes in the Mario games : KOOPAS
42
"Present" : IMHERE
44
Like some dense foliage : SHRUBBY
45
Satisfy, as thirst : SLAKE
48
Caps Lock neighbor : TAB
50
What can be a lot to stomach? : CUD
54
Brew holders, maybe : CAULDRONS
59
Underway : ONGOING
63
Kerfuffle : STIR
65
Ending with taste or trouble : MAKER
67
Ultimately emerged victorious : WONTHEWAR
69
[Mwah!] : AIRKISS
70
___ Covey, heroine of the hit book/film series "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" : LARAJEAN
72
"Is this such a good idea?" : DOIDARE
74
Cleaned (up) : TIDIED
75
Site of a historic church council : TRENT
76
Burglar, in older slang : YEGG
77
Neighbors of Afghans : TAJIKS
78
Boxy window installation, in brief : ACUNIT
79
Requirement : MUSTDO
80
Pathetic bunch : SADLOT
81
Cross the line, say : FINISH
82
Extends an invitation for : ASKSTO
84
Authoritative pronouncements : DICTA
85
Makes simple, with "down" : DUMBS
88
Snare : TRAP
89
Former New York City mayor Ed : KOCH
91
Camp sight : TENT
93
Comp ___ (college discipline, informally) : SCI

Answer summary:
26 unique to this puzzle, 2 debuted here and reused later, 2 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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