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

WHAT A CHARACTER!

New York Times, Sunday, September 12, 2021

Author:
Alex Rosen
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
32-Across : "Sorry, Charlie!"
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
53/30/20212/9/20232
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1011200
CircleScrabDebutFresh
31.601937%
Alex Rosen

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 22 Words: 147, Blocks: 82 Missing: {JQZ} Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 3 for Mr. Rosen. Sunday freshness: 16%
Will Shortz notes:
Alex Rosen is a software engineer, formerly of New Jersey, North Carolina, and Boston, but now living in London. His job is to help computer users avoid email-related security mistakes, like ... read more
Alex Rosen notes:
I felt lucky that this puzzle worked out. Three things all needed to be true: The English word for the symbol ")" has to be long, and have an odd number of letters in it. The word for "-" ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
Grid art! Black squares often dominate circles, washing out their effects, but the circles win out today. From the first second I opened the puzzles, the smiley emoticon jumped out at me. So ... read more
Jim Horne notes:

This is the third CRETAN reference in four days. It's just a coincidence, but it's an odd one.

1
W
2
I
3
N
4
E
5
S
6
N
7
O
8
T
9
I
10
N
11
I
12
F
13
W
14
E
15
P
16
H
17
I
18
L
19
A
N
O
D
E
20
A
M
I
G
O
21
S
N
O
O
P
22
R
I
D
E
23
S
P
O
U
T
24
S
I
D
L
E
25
P
A
R
E
I
26
D
O
L
I
A
27
P
U
N
C
T
28
U
A
T
I
O
N
29
M
A
R
K
30
C
O
T
T
O
N
31
S
T
E
A
L
S
32
N
O
D
I
C
E
33
N
E
S
T
S
34
T
E
A
35
E
36
G
G
S
37
L
E
A
38
P
39
F
40
R
O
G
41
V
42
I
43
C
E
S
44
I
R
S
45
S
O
B
46
A
A
A
T
E
47
A
48
M
49
S
50
E
M
O
51
S
E
A
52
I
T
S
A
53
B
L
U
R
54
H
E
N
55
R
O
N
56
S
57
M
I
M
58
O
S
A
59
R
E
E
S
E
60
H
A
L
L
61
B
U
G
A
62
B
O
O
63
H
A
M
64
R
O
T
65
N
O
M
66
S
T
A
L
A
G
67
H
Y
P
68
H
69
E
N
70
A
T
H
O
71
M
72
E
73
L
E
G
74
M
75
M
E
76
A
R
I
77
E
X
H
U
M
E
S
78
S
79
H
I
M
80
C
O
O
L
81
S
82
T
R
E
83
B
L
E
84
M
E
L
T
85
P
A
N
86
L
O
W
L
I
87
F
E
S
88
I
V
S
89
N
E
E
90
F
L
E
91
A
92
B
A
N
E
93
N
E
D
94
M
O
I
95
A
96
F
T
E
R
97
N
E
W
S
R
98
E
E
L
99
W
A
S
S
100
A
I
L
101
P
102
H
103
A
G
E
104
C
A
L
105
A
I
S
106
C
R
E
107
T
108
A
109
N
110
E
U
G
E
N
111
E
112
R
O
T
A
T
E
C
113
L
114
O
C
K
W
I
S
E
115
S
M
I
L
E
Y
116
F
A
C
E
117
O
N
A
I
R
118
I
O
N
I
A
119
T
I
L
E
120
E
D
G
A
R
121
N
E
R
F
S
122
S
U
G
A
R
123
O
D
E
S
124
S
A
U
R
125
E
R
A
T
O
126
S
T
E
M
S
© 2021, The New York Times9/12/21 ( No. 26,241 )
Across
1
They come with bouquets : WINES
6
Away : NOTIN
11
"___ put our heads together ..." : IFWE
15
Singer/drummer Collins : PHIL
19
Cell component : ANODE
20
Pal, in Peru : AMIGO
21
Put one's nose where it doesn't belong : SNOOP
22
Tilt-a-Whirl, e.g. : RIDE
23
One arm held up with bent elbow and wrist, in a children's song : SPOUT
24
Move obliquely : SIDLE
25
Phenomenon such as the tendency to see human forms in inanimate objects : PAREIDOLIA
27
Any of the groupings of circled letters in this puzzle : PUNCTUATIONMARK
30
Gin product : COTTON
31
Incredible bargains : STEALS
32
"Sorry, Charlie!" : NODICE
33
Fits together : NESTS
34
Savory Chinese snacks : TEAEGGS
37
Jump over : LEAPFROG
41
Smoking and swearing, e.g. : VICES
44
They await your return, in brief : IRS
45
Have a good cry : SOB
46
Syracuse Mets and Worcester Red Sox, for two : AAATEAMS
50
"Music's most maligned genre," per critic Tom Connick : EMO
51
Word with level or lion : SEA
52
"Everything happened so fast!" : ITSABLUR
54
Farm female : HEN
55
"___ Gone Wrong" (2021 film) : RONS
57
Brunch beverage : MIMOSA
59
One of the brothers on "Malcolm in the Middle" : REESE
60
Room in Clue : HALL
61
Cause of undue anxiety : BUGABOO
63
It may be smoked : HAM
64
Hogwash : ROT
65
Munch, in modern slang : NOM
66
"___ 17" (W.W. II film) : STALAG
67
One of two in a jack-o'-lantern? : HYPHEN
70
Where charity begins, in a phrase : ATHOME
73
Table part : LEG
74
Title for Tussaud: Abbr. : MME
76
"Midsommar" director Aster : ARI
77
Digs up : EXHUMES
78
Carpenter's wedge : SHIM
80
Does gentle stretching post-exercise, with "down" : COOLS
82
Amp knob : TREBLE
84
Die like the Wicked Witch of the West : MELT
85
Give zero stars : PAN
86
Ne'er-do-wells : LOWLIFES
88
E.R. inserts : IVS
89
By birth : NEE
90
Plant said to repel bugs : FLEABANE
93
___ Ryerson, insurance salesman in "Groundhog Day" : NED
94
French pronoun : MOI
95
Quarter ___ (when the big hand is at three) : AFTER
97
No-longer-current source for current events : NEWSREEL
99
Hot, mulled punch traditionally drunk around Christmas : WASSAIL
101
Bacteria destroyer : PHAGE
104
French port on the English Channel : CALAIS
106
Like the Minotaur legend : CRETAN
110
University of Oregon site : EUGENE
112
How to see the image formed by this puzzle's circled letters : ROTATECLOCKWISE
115
What's formed by the circled letters in this puzzle : SMILEYFACE
117
"We're live!" studio sign : ONAIR
118
Ancient land in Asia Minor : IONIA
119
Domino, e.g. : TILE
120
Martinez with a statue outside the Seattle Mariners' stadium : EDGAR
121
Makes less powerful, in video game slang : NERFS
122
Domino, e.g. : SUGAR
123
"To ..." things : ODES
124
Dino's tail? : SAUR
125
Muse of love poetry : ERATO
126
Arises (from) : STEMS
Down
1
Eastern cicada killers, e.g. : WASPS
2
Suggestions : INPUT
3
"... said ___ ever" : NOONE
4
School : EDUCATE
5
Resolves out of court : SETTLES
6
Org. that flew a helicopter on Mars in 2021 : NASA
7
Fail to mention : OMIT
8
Information, old-style : TIDINGS
9
Rounded quarters : IGLOOS
10
Without stopping : NOEND
11
How Alaska ranks first among the states : INAREA
12
It's often left on the table : FORK
13
What "vey" of "Oy, vey!" translates to : WOE
14
___ Games, company behind Fortnite : EPIC
15
Rey, to Luke Skywalker : PROTEGE
16
Sword handles : HILTS
17
"Einstein," sarcastically : IDIOT
18
Puts pressure (on) : LEANS
21
What can make men swear from menswear? : SPACEBAR
26
"___ pass Go ..." : DONOT
28
Leading medal winner at the Tokyo Olympics : USA
29
Forman who directed "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" : MILOS
35
Farm refrain : EIEIO
36
Weight of a paper clip, roughly : GRAM
38
Ancient: Prefix : PALEO
39
Soul-seller of legend : FAUST
40
Half-baked? : RARE
41
Duck and goose, at times : VERBS
42
"See ya" : IMOUT
43
Group dance popularized in the U.S. by Desi Arnaz : CONGALINE
45
77-Down is on the most collected one in U.S. history : STAMP
47
Epiphany : AHAMOMENT
48
Voice actor Blanc : MEL
49
Show with over 1,000 handwritten cue cards each week, for short : SNL
51
City hazard : SMOG
52
"My word!" : ISAY
53
Pol in the "I am once again asking ..." meme : BERNIE
56
City whose police cars are adorned with a witch logo : SALEM
58
Card game with a PG-rated name : OHHELL
60
Boring : HOHUM
62
Purse : BAG
65
High degree : NTH
68
Not at all popular : HATED
69
Messes up : ERRS
70
x, y and z : AXES
71
Chaotic skirmish : MELEE
72
Fragrant compound : ESTER
74
Saturn has more than 80 of them : MOONS
75
Golf course machine : MOWER
77
He performed 636 consecutive sold-out shows in Vegas from 1969 to '76 : ELVIS
78
Burn prevention meas. : SPF
79
The future Henry V, to Falstaff : HAL
80
Fight tooth and nail : CLAW
81
One who consumes a ritual meal to absolve the souls of the dead : SINEATER
83
Bits on book jackets : BIOS
87
Roc-A-___ Records : FELLA
91
Part of U.C.L.A. : ANGELES
92
Fashion designer Geoffrey : BEENE
94
It may run from an emotional situation : MASCARA
95
[Mwah!] : AIRKISS
96
Departed by plane : FLEWOUT
98
Green vehicle : ECOCAR
99
Frank : WIENER
100
Duke's org. : ACC
101
Pasta topper : PESTO
102
Like the dog days of summer : HUMID
103
Acrobatic : AGILE
105
Make restitution : ATONE
107
Faint color : TINGE
108
"Take me ___" : ASIAM
109
Approaches : NEARS
111
Where the lacrimal glands can be found : EYES
112
Pasta topper : RAGU
113
Pump some weights : LIFT
114
Not exactly : ORSO
116
Vaccine-approving agcy. : FDA

Answer summary:
3 unique to this puzzle, 3 debuted here and reused later.

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
114 ms