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Rise to the Challenge

New York Times, Sunday, October 9, 2022

Author:
Jessie Trudeau and Ross Trudeau
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
48-Down : Perceived
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
512/14/202010/9/20225
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
2111000
ScrabDebutFresh
1.563040%
Jessie Trudeau
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
542/9/201712/6/202221
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1062012600
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
381.6231449%
Ross Trudeau

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 133, Blocks: 84 Missing: {QXZ} Spans: 1 Scrabble average: 1.71 This is puzzle # 5 for Ms. Trudeau. This is puzzle # 53 for Mr. Trudeau. Jeff Chen's Puzzle of the Week pick. Sunday freshness: 27%
Will Shortz notes:
Jessie Trudeau, of Cambridge, Mass., recently graduated with a Ph.D. from Harvard's Department of Government. Next fall she'll start as an assistant professor of political science at ... read more
Constructor notes:
JESSIE: Ross has a long history of rocking my socks with grids that creatively deploy letters-as-pictures. He pitched me on this (ahem) word ladder in the summer of 2000, and when we found ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
This one climbs my ranks as one of the most memorable Sundays in years. I fondly remember my bafflement-flipping-to-delight moment when uncovering a column of Is that acted as the web for ... read more
Jim Horne notes:
Super fun puzzle! Jeff gave you a link to find words with at least 4 I's in a row, but what if you want at least 4 of any letter? I'm afraid we're going to talk RegEx again. Nah, ... read more
1
I
2
N
3
A
4
C
5
O
6
M
7
A
8
H
9
S
10
W
11
E
12
E
13
P
14
S
15
C
16
O
17
T
18
M
I
L
I
T
I
A
19
I
20
N
H
O
R
R
O
R
21
H
A
R
T
22
S
H
A
R
O
N
A
23
M
A
H
A
Y
A
N
A
24
R
U
D
Y
25
C
H
I
M
26
N
E
Y
H
27
D
28
I
E
S
E
L
29
T
30
A
31
T
A
32
B
E
A
T
H
34
C
35
O
36
M
37
M
A
N
D
E
R
38
U
V
A
39
C
A
M
P
40
H
O
N
D
A
41
U
S
A
42
B
E
L
43
A
R
B
O
44
R
H
P
I
C
K
46
E
R
47
S
48
F
49
O
50
A
R
M
51
O
R
52
E
L
I
53
S
H
A
54
E
G
E
55
S
T
E
D
56
S
U
B
M
57
A
R
I
N
E
H
58
C
59
A
M
O
60
P
I
L
E
61
E
D
S
E
L
62
G
A
H
63
O
V
A
64
A
R
T
S
65
C
L
I
66
M
67
B
S
T
H
68
E
L
A
D
69
D
70
E
R
71
D
72
I
73
E
U
74
A
R
I
75
H
U
B
76
E
N
E
77
W
78
S
79
U
S
S
R
80
D
C
O
N
H
R
E
82
P
83
A
I
R
M
A
N
84
N
I
C
E
85
J
O
B
86
C
H
O
R
A
L
87
A
E
S
O
88
P
89
E
T
A
90
C
H
E
91
R
92
R
Y
H
93
T
U
L
94
I
P
95
A
W
E
96
P
97
E
R
98
T
O
O
T
H
99
L
I
L
T
100
B
I
C
101
T
E
L
E
102
P
H
O
N
E
H
103
O
V
A
L
104
O
I
N
K
105
S
C
R
A
W
L
H
107
P
A
I
N
T
108
E
R
109
P
E
O
N
110
U
111
L
112
T
113
R
114
A
H
O
T
115
C
E
N
T
116
I
117
M
118
E
119
C
L
O
D
120
S
E
A
R
C
H
E
S
121
E
L
B
O
W
E
D
122
A
L
M
S
123
H
O
U
S
E
H
124
S
L
Y
N
O
D
S
© 2022, The New York Times10/9/22 ( No. 26,633 )
Across
1
Like the protagonist at the start of "28 Days Later" : INACOMA
14
Lady Macduff, e.g. : SCOT
18
Group of fighters : MILITIA
19
One way to recoil : INHORROR
21
Male deer : HART
22
"My ___" (#1 hit for the Knack) : SHARONA
23
One of the two main branches of Buddhism : MAHAYANA
24
N.B.A. All-Star Gobert : RUDY
25
*Worker with a brush [three rungs] : CHIMNEYSWEEP
27
Fuel option : DIESEL
29
"Ciao!" : TATA
32
Completely pooped : BEAT
38
A.C.C. school : UVA
39
Place with counselors : CAMP
40
Maker of Pilots and Passports : HONDA
41
Team ___ : USA
42
"___ Canto" (2001 Ann Patchett novel) : BEL
43
Structure resembling a pergola : ARBOR
47
Airport with a BART station : SFO
50
Mail, e.g. : ARMOR
52
Otis who founded the Otis Elevator Company : ELISHA
54
Expelled from the body : EGESTED
56
*Captain with a periscope [four rungs] : SUBMARINECOMMANDER
58
Some military wear, informally : CAMO
60
Carpet specification : PILE
61
Former make of Ford : EDSEL
62
[I'm frustrated!] : GAH
63
Lab eggs : OVA
64
Animation and sculpting, for two : ARTS
65
Advances through corporate ranks … and what the answer to each starred clue in this puzzle does : CLIMBSTHELADDER
71
"Mon ___!" : DIEU
74
Singer Grande, to fans : ARI
75
Center : HUB
76
Celebrity gossip show with an exclamation point in its title : ENEWS
79
Map inits. until 1991 : USSR
80
Pest control brand : DCON
84
"Really good work!" : NICEJOB
86
Sung by a group : CHORAL
87
Writer known for his anthropomorphic animal characters : AESOP
89
"When r u coming?" : ETA
90
*Seasonal orchard worker [eight rungs] : CHERRYPICKER
93
Staple of Dutch Golden Age art : TULIP
95
Feeling while watching a volcanic eruption, perhaps : AWE
96
According to : PER
98
Narwhal's tusk : TOOTH
99
Pleasant speech cadence : LILT
100
Pen that aptly rhymes with "click" : BIC
101
*Worker for AT&T or Verizon [four rungs] : TELEPHONEREPAIRMAN
103
Common wall mirror shape : OVAL
104
Sound on Old MacDonald's farm : OINK
105
Chicken scratch : SCRAWL
109
Worker who probably isn't paid enough : PEON
110
Really, really spicy : ULTRAHOT
115
1/100 of a franc : CENTIME
119
Dirt clump : CLOD
120
Googles, e.g. : SEARCHES
121
Like people in crowds, whether intentionally or not : ELBOWED
122
Donations for the needy : ALMS
123
*One putting a coat on outside [three rungs] : HOUSEPAINTER
124
Surreptitious assents : SLYNODS
Down
1
Communications on Slack, e.g. : IMS
2
Org. funding Covid-19 research : NIH
3
In the manner of : ALA
4
Roughly : CIRCA
5
"Then again ...," in a tweet : OTOH
6
Upscale hotel room fixture : MINIBAR
7
One calling for a tow, maybe : AAAMEMBER
8
Visual depiction of the apparatus used by the starred professionals : HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
9
"___ wise guy, eh?" : SOA
10
Like some humor : WRY
11
Important stretch : ERA
12
Stretch longer than an 11-Down : EON
13
Mario who founded a fashion empire : PRADA
14
Snowboards well, informally : SHREDS
15
Rabble-rouse : CAUSEASTIR
16
Something taken by a waiter : ORDER
17
"Cya!" : TTYL
19
"How ___ Your Mother" : IMET
20
Con's vote : NAY
26
Mafia : Sicilia :: Camorra : ___ : NAPOLI
28
Harden : INURE
29
Latin for "trumpet" : TUBA
30
Disinclined : AVERSE
31
Temple text : TALMUD
34
Beach in Rio de Janeiro, informally : COPA
35
"From now ___ won't be hanging around" (bluegrass lyric) : ONI
36
1600, in ancient Rome : MDC
37
Tick off : MAKEMAD
39
___-by-the-Sea, Calif. : CARMEL
44
Welcomes, as the new year : RINGSIN
46
Narcissist's treasure : EGO
48
Perceived : FELT
49
Output from Sappho : ODES
51
Cloud : OBSCURE
53
Adjustable bike part : SEAT
55
"I don't wanna hear it" : SPAREME
57
Boxer Laila : ALI
58
Stephen who said "Think books aren't scary? Well, think about this: You can't spell 'Book' without 'Boo!'" : COLBERT
59
Director DuVernay : AVA
66
Play title that superstitious actors avoid saying aloud in theaters : MACBETH
67
Certain sib : BRO
68
Currency to which the Maltese scudo is pegged : EURO
69
Opus ___ : DEI
70
Hypnotized, say : ENRAPT
71
Sci-fi novel made into films in 1984 and 2021 : DUNE
72
Skeptical reply to "That's true" : ISIT
73
Activity one tries to get out of? : ESCAPEROOM
77
Sushi condiment : WASABI
78
Strand, perhaps : SNOWIN
80
"Silly me!" : DOH
82
Pope of 1963-78 : PAULVI
83
Government bonds? : ALLIANCES
85
Preppy clothing brand : JCREW
86
Ending with leuko- or oo- : CYTE
88
Quick kiss : PECK
91
One with a marsupium, affectionately : ROO
92
Bacardi, e.g., in México : RON
94
Threat from a squealer : ILLTELL
97
Antelopes with twisty horns : ELANDS
101
Immune system agent : TCELL
102
Like luxurious pillows : PLUSH
103
Breakfast that may be prepared overnight : OATS
104
Former N.F.L. QB Kyle : ORTON
105
Pet rescue org. : SPCA
107
"The Black Cat" author : POE
108
Genderqueer identity : ENBY
111
Soccer star Messi, familiarly : LEO
112
Delta ___ Chi, house in "Animal House" : TAU
113
B&O and Reading: Abbr. : RRS
114
Either half of pocket rockets, in poker slang : ACE
116
___ Jima : IWO
117
Rx from a doc, e.g. : MED
118
Newsroom heads, for short : EDS

Answer summary:
5 unique to this puzzle, 1 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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