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Funny Business

New York Times, Sunday, January 21, 2024

Author:
John Westwig
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
11-Down : Big name in jeans
TotalDebutLatest
97/20/20151/21/2024
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
2110203
ScrabDebutFresh
1.748781%
John Westwig

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 138, Blocks: 65 Missing: {JQXZ} This is puzzle # 9 for Mr. Westwig. Sunday freshness: 65%
Will Shortz notes:
John Westwig is a software engineer in Seattle. This is his ninth crossword for The Times. His first one appeared in 2015 when he was 17. John says, "I think I got into constructing ... read more
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E
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© 2024, The New York Times1/21/24 ( No. 27,102 )
Across
1
Begin to flower : BUD
4
In conflict : ATWAR
9
Basketball stats category : ASSISTS
16
Neckwear provided at some restaurants : BIB
19
Pikes Peak people : UTE
20
One-dish meal : CHILI
21
"You're playing with fire!" : WATCHIT
22
Game night cry : UNO
23
"First, I founded an aerospace start-up, but I never …" : GOTITOFFTHEGROUND
26
Messy room : STY
27
Make the first bet : OPEN
28
Go back over : REREAD
29
Proverbial hard workers : ANTS
30
Bourne's employer in "The Bourne Identity," in brief : CIA
31
Popular indoor tree : FICUS
33
Total revolution? : YEAR
34
Ardennes assent : OUI
35
Singer's asset : RANGE
37
Daughter of Muhammad : FATIMA
39
"When that fell through, I tried my hand at fishmongering, but we …" : DIDNTSCALEWELL
43
Sensitivity : TACT
45
Common resolutions : DIETS
46
Squat, so to speak : SIT
47
Pop singer with noted bangs (and bangers!) : SIA
48
Go back down : EBB
51
J. M. Barrie, for one : SCOT
53
What Ralph represents in a Freudian analysis of "Lord of the Flies" : EGO
54
Betrays : FLIPSON
56
"Next, I pivoted into breakfast restaurants, but competitors …" : POACHEDOUREMPLOYEES
61
Passages : CORRIDORS
62
Medal-earning mettle : VALOR
63
Purchase printout: Abbr. : RCPT
66
New Year's Day : ONEONE
67
Place of prayer : PEW
69
Sat ___ (GPS system) : NAV
70
Behind : TUSHIE
72
Library section : TEEN
73
Broski : HOMIE
75
There are 768 of these in a gallon : TEASPOONS
77
"When I tried candlemaking, all my workers …" : SUFFEREDFROMBURNOUT
81
Section of the nosebleed seats : LASTROW
83
Poetic preposition : ERE
84
Lead-in to zone : EURO
85
Some music collectibles, for short : LPS
86
Whiz : ACE
87
Counterpart of science, they say : ART
88
Freight, e.g. : GOODS
90
Uncles, in Uruguay : TIOS
92
"I decided to try operating an airport, but just before launch we …" : RANOUTOFRUNWAY
96
Goes first : STARTS
100
Wrote, as a bad check : KITED
101
Moose's mating season : RUT
102
Universal donor's designation, informally : ONEG
104
Betray one's standards : STOOP
105
Bridge component : BID
106
"We'll see" : IMAY
108
Backdrop : LOCALE
110
Exclamation before an ill-advised action, maybe : YOLO
111
Creature that swallows its prey whole : BOA
112
"Finally, I decided to buy a grocery store on an intersection, but a rival had ..." : CORNEREDTHEMARKET
115
"Wise" one : OWL
116
"Enjoyed" some humble pie : ATECROW
117
Bolting Bolt : USAIN
118
Union contract? : IDO
119
Counterpart of "thx" : PLS
120
Corrupting influence : BADSEED
121
Full ___ : MONTY
122
Over time period? : EON
Down
1
"Leave me alone!" : BUGOFF
2
Heaven on earth : UTOPIA
3
Pick up on : DETECT
4
State lines? : ACT
5
Hammer wielder of myth : THOR
6
The missus : WIFEY
7
___ Butts, inventor of Scrabble : ALFRED
8
CVS competitor : RITEAID
9
Thunderstruck : AWED
10
Slump : SAG
11
Big name in jeans : STRAUSS
12
Quintessential : ICONIC
13
Turn (off) : SHUT
14
Spam holders : TINS
15
Health class subj. : STD
16
Sloan or Wharton : BUSINESSSCHOOL
17
Opposite of relief, in printmaking : INTAGLIO
18
___ wonder : BOY
24
Traditional makers of anoraks : INUIT
25
Like kale vis-à-vis lettuce : HARDIER
30
Call of a raven : CAW
32
Break, as a window : SMASHIN
34
Aid in getting a leg up? : OTTOMAN
35
Knot again! : RETIE
36
Pizazz : ELAN
38
Bow (to) : ACCEDE
40
Desert bordering Sinai : NEGEV
41
Regarding : ASFOR
42
Harry Potter's mother : LILY
44
Hubbub : TODO
48
Disney theme park : EPCOT
49
Yankees manager Aaron : BOONE
50
Absolute minimum required : BAREESSENTIALS
52
Listlessness : TORPOR
55
Soul : PERSON
57
Portmanteau pastry : CRONUT
58
1972 Bill Withers hit whose title sounds like a command : USEME
59
"Allegory of the cave" philosopher : PLATO
60
1956 Elvis hit whose title sounds like a command : LOVEME
64
Centerfold, say : PINUP
65
Bits of troubleshooting : TESTS
68
Football receiver : WIDEOUT
70
Yiddish word meaning "woe" : TSURIS
71
Eradicates starting from the bottom : UPROOTS
73
Follow closely : HEWTO
74
Zac of "Baywatch" : EFRON
76
Share a side : ABUT
78
Identity theft, for one : FRAUD
79
Snow day project : FORT
80
The 380-foot-tall Hyperion, for one : REDWOOD
81
Bit of carefree fun : LARK
82
Trendy treat of Brazilian origin : ACAIBOWL
88
Swiss cheese : GRUYERE
89
Man cave, maybe : SANCTUM
91
Bacchanalian beast : SATYR
93
Ref. work that began as a Philological Society project : OED
94
Swiss "cheese" : FRANCS
95
"Whatcha gonna do about it?" : YEAHSO
97
Cub or colt : ROOKIE
98
"Holy ___!" : TOLEDO
99
Perfect in every way : SPOTON
103
Extract : GLEAN
106
Tiniest bit : IOTA
107
Talking horse of '60s TV : MRED
108
Apt rhyme of "nude" and "crude" : LEWD
109
Send off : EMIT
111
Catchy song, in slang : BOP
112
Thing to catch in a city : CAB
113
Tobiko or masago : ROE
114
___ second : ANY

Answer summary:
12 unique to this puzzle, 1 debuted here and reused later, 4 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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