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Central Perk

New York Times, Sunday, September 28, 2025

Author:
Rich Katz
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
112-Across : "Beat it!"
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
81/29/20239/28/20253
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
5101100
RebusCircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
111.634229.345%
Rich Katz

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 78 Missing: {QXZ} Grid has mirror symmetry. Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 8 for Mr. Katz. Grid flow: 17.1 Sunday freshness: 74%
Will Shortz notes:
Rich Katz does freelance work in corporate restructuring and bankruptcy liquidations. He and his wife recently relocated from Utah to San Francisco, where their new home has a view of the ... read more
Jim Horne notes:

A tribute to the television show "Friends". Six of the italicized clues point to names of the characters on Friends. The crossing ones point to "benefits" you might get at work, like HEALTH, DENTAL, etc.

1
E
2
M
3
P
4
T
5
O
6
R
7
P
8
A
9
P
10
R
11
I
12
K
13
A
14
I
15
C
16
E
17
M
18
A
19
N
20
M
O
H
A
V
E
21
H
A
S
A
S
I
P
22
N
O
L
O
S
E
23
M
O
O
R
E
S
24
D
A
Y
C
A
R
E
25
F
L
I
N
T
S
26
A
L
E
27
R
E
28
B
S
29
C
H
I
30
D
31
R
E
D
32
I
R
S
33
A
B
34
L
A
T
E
35
I
H
E
A
36
R
37
E
R
O
38
I
C
A
39
H
E
A
L
T
H
40
D
E
L
H
I
41
D
E
N
T
A
L
42
I
L
L
A
43
S
K
44
A
45
T
O
N
E
S
46
E
47
V
48
A
N
49
E
V
A
50
M
51
C
52
S
53
B
U
C
54
Y
55
A
56
W
57
S
58
H
A
G
59
U
S
E
D
60
C
H
E
61
A
N
E
62
W
63
G
E
O
64
O
C
E
65
A
N
66
S
E
67
N
D
A
C
68
A
R
D
69
E
70
A
R
L
Y
71
W
A
L
R
U
72
S
73
B
O
N
U
S
74
E
A
S
E
L
S
75
T
E
R
M
E
76
D
77
A
N
D
R
A
78
G
A
R
T
E
N
79
D
I
V
A
80
T
E
81
N
82
A
L
I
83
G
R
R
84
I
S
E
85
E
86
J
O
E
Y
87
U
F
O
88
L
E
T
89
E
E
L
90
R
O
S
S
91
S
N
L
92
S
P
E
D
93
D
R
Y
94
A
W
O
95
L
96
N
S
C
97
L
E
O
N
I
98
D
99
T
R
I
B
E
100
S
101
F
102
R
I
E
N
D
S
W
103
I
104
T
105
H
B
E
N
E
F
I
106
T
107
S
108
P
E
E
T
S
109
C
A
R
H
O
O
D
110
T
E
A
M
111
S
112
A
M
S
C
R
113
A
114
Y
115
R
A
I
N
N
116
W
117
H
I
S
K
E
Y
118
I
M
T
H
E
R
E
119
F
I
N
E
D
120
W
E
S
T
E
L
M
121
R
E
S
I
D
E
S
122
S
L
E
D
S
123
E
N
T
A
I
L
S
© 2025, The New York Times9/28/25 ( No. 27,718 )
Across
1
Caveat ___ ("Buyer beware") : EMPTOR
7
Spice that's characteristic of Hungarian cooking : PAPRIKA
14
Marvel Comics mutant who can freeze his own body : ICEMAN
20
Arizona county or Indigenous people : MOHAVE
21
Tries some water, say : HASASIP
22
Like a win-win situation : NOLOSE
23
___ law, concept in computing technology : MOORES
24
Alternative to a nanny : DAYCARE
25
Fire starters : FLINTS
26
Contents of a flagon : ALE
27
Ole Miss athletes, to fans : REBS
29
X : CHI
30
___ Scott, whom the Supreme Court said was not free to sue for his freedom : DRED
32
Org. not getting many happy returns? : IRS
33
Remove surgically, as tissue : ABLATE
35
"They tell me ..." : IHEAR
37
Beethoven symphony originally intended to honor Napoleon : EROICA
39
Class that might cause some high schoolers to blush : HEALTH
40
Sprawling Indian metropolis : DELHI
41
Like some bridges : DENTAL
42
"Let me check on that" : ILLASK
44
Expiates, with "for" : ATONES
46
Man's name that's 49-Across plus a letter : EVAN
49
Woman's name that's the first three letters of 46-Across : EVA
50
Rap battle participants : MCS
53
Tampa Bay athlete, in brief : BUC
54
Twists off course, as a ship : YAWS
58
Witch : HAG
59
Exploited : USED
60
"Weekend Update" co-host Michael : CHE
61
All over again : ANEW
63
___Guessr, hit online game whose players deduce locations from Google Street View images : GEO
64
Where a hurricane forms : OCEAN
66
Wish someone "Happy Birthday," perhaps : SENDACARD
69
At dawn, say : EARLY
71
Mammal with long whiskers : WALRUS
73
Extra : BONUS
74
They stand for art : EASELS
75
Called : TERMED
77
___ Day, Billie Holiday's portrayer in "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" : ANDRA
78
Celebrity chef Ina : GARTEN
79
Demanding entertainer : DIVA
80
X : TEN
82
He was né Clay : ALI
83
Watchdog's warning : GRR
84
Words of understanding : ISEE
86
Outback baby : JOEY
87
Familiar initialism coined by a U.S. Air Force captain : UFO
88
Do-over at Wimbledon : LET
89
Kind of sauce at a sushi bar : EEL
90
Sewer in American history : ROSS
91
"Weekend Update" show, for short : SNL
92
Zipped : SPED
93
Like some alcohol ... or places that prohibit alcohol : DRY
94
Not present and not excused, for short : AWOL
96
Foreign policy grp. : NSC
97
Brezhnev of the Soviet Union : LEONID
99
Cherokee and Cheyenne : TRIBES
101
Relationship featuring casual intimacy ... or a hint to six pairs of intersecting answers in this puzzle : FRIENDSWITHBENEFITS
108
Starbucks competitor : PEETS
109
Spot for an ornament : CARHOOD
110
Giants in California and New York : TEAMS
112
"Beat it!" : AMSCRAY
115
Actor Wilson of "The Office" : RAINN
116
Rye, e.g. : WHISKEY
118
"Wouldn't miss it for the world!" : IMTHERE
119
Like slow filers and fast drivers, at times : FINED
120
Furniture retailer owned by Williams-Sonoma : WESTELM
121
Lives (in) : RESIDES
122
Iditarod transports : SLEDS
123
Involves : ENTAILS
Down
1
Title heroine described as "handsome, clever and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition" : EMMA
2
Dough : MOOLAH
3
Fly-catching bird with a name derived from Greek : PHOEBE
4
Driveway goo : TAR
5
As a whole : OVERALL
6
Moves elsewhere : RESETTLES
7
Tenured profs, often : PHDS
8
Small battery ... or an org. that might help with a battery : AAA
9
It's all in your head : PSYCHE
10
Mother of Joseph and Benjamin, in the Bible : RACHEL
11
Book after Song of Solomon : ISAIAH
12
French cocktail made with crème de cassis : KIR
13
Mirrored : APED
14
Reasoned conclusion : INFERENCE
15
Brewski : COLDONE
16
Bulldog fan in Connecticut : ELI
17
Santa ___ : MONICA
18
Stellar : ASTRAL
19
Van ___ Avenue, thoroughfare in San Francisco : NESS
28
Minds one's P's and Q's : BEHAVES
31
Contribute (to), as one's reputation : REDOUND
34
Been asleep, say : LAIN
35
Texter's "Beats me" : IDK
36
Small inlet : RIA
38
Li'l : ITSY
43
One-named singer born in Nigeria : SADE
45
Skier's conveyance : TBAR
46
Online site for DIYers : EHOW
47
Time out, perhaps : VACATION
48
Info commonly shown on a board game box : AGELEVEL
50
Clown around with food? : MCDONALD
51
City SE of Phoenix : CHANDLER
52
Purpose of some cameras : SECURITY
55
Reaches a shared opinion about : AGREESON
56
Holistic contentment : WELLNESS
57
Some beans or sauces : SOYS
59
"E pluribus ___" : UNUM
62
Sport : WEAR
65
Matrix : ARRAY
67
Sun bloc? : NBA
68
Pretty ___ picture : ASA
70
Moving around : ASTIR
72
Attack : SETUPON
74
You can put a ring on it : EARLOBE
76
Back : DEFEND
78
Came back, as hair : GREWIN
79
Music's Fatboy Slim and David Guetta, informally : DJS
81
Error message on a Blu-ray device : NODISC
83
Targeted (to) : GEARED
85
Key for a quick exit : ESC
92
Boils with rage : SEESRED
95
Liberal-leaning : LEFTIST
97
Chinese "nut" that's really a fruit : LITCHI
98
Makes small in comparison : DWARFS
99
Government debt obligations, familiarly : TBONDS
100
40 winks : SIESTA
101
___ fatale : FEMME
102
Gets 40 winks : RESTS
103
Letter-shaped train track piece : IRAIL
104
"To ___ own self be true" : THINE
105
Sharpened : HONED
106
George of "Star Trek" : TAKEI
107
Bad thing to discover in the pantry : SMELL
108
AA or JJ, e.g. : PAIR
111
Jazz singer Sylvia ___ : SYMS
113
Come to : ARE
114
"For sure" : YES
116
Org. that merged with the U.F.C. in 2023 : WWE
117
Kind of party : HEN

Answer summary:
5 unique to this puzzle.

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49 ms