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

WAIT, WHAT?

New York Times, Sunday, November 8, 2020

Author:
Evan Kalish and Caitlin Reid
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
81-Down : Certain monkey ... or monk
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
227/2/201811/5/20242
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
15511513
CircleScrabDebutFresh
31.6011440%
Evan Kalish
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
165/10/20181/20/20247
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
3110254
RebusScrabDebutFresh
11.569158%
Caitlin Reid

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 76 Missing: {JQXZ} Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 13 for Mr. Kalish. This is puzzle # 8 for Ms. Reid. Sunday freshness: 26%
Will Shortz notes:
Evan Kalish, 33, of Bayside, N.Y., is a writer and crossword constructor. His hobby is visiting and photographing post offices around the country — more than 10,000 to date. Many photos ... read more
Constructor notes:
EVAN: This puzzle started with the title. My first idea for a theme entry was "ALL ABOUT THAT BUS" — which would be quite the Meghan Trainor song — though for at least two years this idea ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
This isn't your father's sound change puzzle! Evan and Caitlin play on "Wait … what?", going from long A sounds to … short U? It's much harder to wrap one's brain around than a ... read more
Jim Horne notes:

Rudders of the Lost Ark is especially brilliant because it flips the meaning of Ark between "boat" and "box."

1
M
2
I
3
C
4
R
5
O
6
L
7
O
8
A
9
N
10
P
11
A
12
T
13
E
14
L
15
S
16
I
17
L
18
O
19
A
D
H
E
R
E
N
C
E
20
E
L
U
D
E
21
I
K
N
O
W
22
Y
O
U
G
O
T
T
H
A
23
T
S
T
R
U
T
24
D
E
U
C
E
25
A
L
M
S
26
H
A
Y
27
R
O
O
K
28
S
29
E
R
E
N
A
30
S
A
P
31
C
U
S
S
S
32
E
N
S
I
T
I
V
33
E
34
M
35
O
36
R
A
L
37
W
O
E
38
R
O
T
S
39
S
O
L
40
F
O
L
E
Y
41
C
H
I
42
M
43
I
A
T
A
44
D
O
R
M
45
W
H
Y
T
H
46
E
L
O
N
47
G
48
F
U
S
S
49
T
50
B
O
N
E
S
51
I
A
M
52
I
D
E
E
53
R
E
D
S
54
H
E
R
O
55
W
I
P
56
E
57
G
A
L
58
P
A
L
59
U
60
F
O
61
A
D
62
D
63
R
U
D
64
D
E
R
S
O
F
T
65
H
E
L
O
66
S
T
A
R
67
K
68
S
U
E
69
L
E
I
70
S
E
D
A
K
A
71
D
O
E
72
S
73
C
A
74
R
Y
75
S
76
P
A
R
77
T
A
M
78
E
79
P
G
A
80
A
81
C
82
C
E
D
E
83
L
O
A
D
E
84
D
T
H
E
B
85
U
S
E
S
86
H
A
H
S
87
C
88
S
I
N
Y
89
I
O
S
90
B
A
I
L
S
91
E
P
A
92
L
I
M
A
93
I
M
P
94
B
E
E
T
S
95
M
U
C
96
K
U
P
A
R
97
T
98
I
99
S
T
S
100
R
O
D
101
C
H
A
S
E
R
102
H
O
P
E
103
L
E
O
104
L
105
A
106
D
107
E
108
S
H
I
F
T
109
T
110
H
E
N
U
M
111
B
O
F
T
112
H
E
G
U
M
113
K
I
N
K
S
114
T
U
R
I
N
115
F
R
E
E
A
G
E
N
T
116
I
N
G
A
117
V
N
E
C
K
118
F
I
R
E
W
O
R
K
S
© 2020, The New York Times11/8/20 ( No. 25,933 )
Across
1
Aid for a small business : MICROLOAN
10
Dev of "Slumdog Millionaire" : PATEL
15
Part of a prairie skyline : SILO
19
Strict commitment : ADHERENCE
20
Sidestep : ELUDE
21
"Way ahead of you" : IKNOW
22
Compliment to a runway model? : YOUGOTTHATSTRUT
24
Low card in Texas hold'em : DEUCE
25
Some donations : ALMS
26
Stable supply : HAY
27
Starting piece on a1 or h8, say : ROOK
28
___ Slam (tennis feat) : SERENA
30
Drain : SAP
31
Easily offended by foul language? : CUSSSENSITIVE
34
Kind of high ground : MORAL
37
Trial : WOE
38
Breaks down : ROTS
39
Spanish "sun" : SOL
40
Axel ___, protagonist of "Beverly Hills Cop" : FOLEY
41
X : CHI
42
Japanese roadster since 1989 : MIATA
44
Residence that might be named for a donor : DORM
45
Question to a tantrum thrower? : WHYTHELONGFUSS
49
Costly cuts : TBONES
51
First two words of "Green Eggs and Ham" : IAM
52
___ fixe : IDEE
53
Malbec and syrah, e.g. : REDS
54
Role model : HERO
55
Wet-Nap, for one : WIPE
57
Friend with a rhyming description : GALPAL
59
Sighting aptly found in "Are you for real?" : UFO
61
"Anything you'd like to ___?" : ADD
63
Relics proving how Noah steered his boat? : RUDDERSOFTHELOSTARK
68
Something to do for recovery? : SUE
69
Pacific island ring : LEI
70
Neil with the hit "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" : SEDAKA
71
Carries out : DOES
73
Actor Elwes of "The Princess Bride" : CARY
75
Trade blows : SPAR
77
Mild : TAME
79
Driver's org., no matter how you slice it? : PGA
80
Relent : ACCEDE
83
Prepared for a field trip? : LOADEDTHEBUSES
86
Interjections akin to "Yeah, su-u-ure!" : HAHS
87
Bygone forensic spinoff : CSINY
89
Android alternative : IOS
90
Quits at the last minute : BAILS
91
Org. that awards the Safer Choice label : EPA
92
World capital established in 1535 : LIMA
93
Jackanapes : IMP
94
Rap producers' favorite vegetables? : BEETS
95
Masters of slapstick? : MUCKUPARTISTS
100
Retinal receptor : ROD
101
Drink after drink? : CHASER
102
"To live without ___ is to cease to live": Dostoyevsky : HOPE
103
Sign of summer : LEO
104
Stow cargo : LADE
108
Get into gear : SHIFT
109
Title for an oral surgeon's handbook? : THENUMBOFTHEGUM
113
Certain sexual preferences : KINKS
114
Italian automotive hub : TURIN
115
Subject of many an off-season rumor : FREEAGENT
116
"Young Frankenstein" character played by Teri Garr : INGA
117
Tee type : VNECK
118
4th order? : FIREWORKS
Down
1
___ Rudolph, portrayer of Kamala Harris on "S.N.L." : MAYA
2
Role model : IDOL
3
Amigo : CHUM
4
Rules' partner, for short : REGS
5
El Dorado treasure : ORO
6
Like apple seeds, if eaten in huge quantities : LETHAL
7
Fresh from a keg : ONTAP
8
Sore : ACHY
9
Org. that sponsored the design competition for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial : NEA
10
MXN, on a currency chart : PESOS
11
Adele and Cher, e.g. : ALTOS
12
___ and Caicos : TURKS
13
Part of a dean's address : EDU
14
"I'd rather pass" : LETSNOT
15
Shooting sport : SKEET
16
All together now : INUNISON
17
Farm-to-table consumer : LOCAVORE
18
Word that sounds like its first letter : OWE
21
Elba who played Macavity in 2019's "Cats" : IDRIS
23
One end of the PolitiFact meter : TRUE
29
Willing subject : ESTATE
30
"Don't be rude ... greet our guests!" : SAYHI
31
Loonie or toonie : COIN
32
Some are named for kings and queens : ERAS
33
Stately street liners : ELMS
34
Coat from a goat : MOHAIR
35
High point of Greek civilization? : OLYMPUS
36
Emeritus: Abbr. : RET
37
"It's me ... duh!" : WHOELSE
40
"Just sayin'," in shorthand : FWIW
41
Needless to say : CLEARLY
42
Mississippi ___ pie : MUD
43
Released : ISSUED
44
Thingamabob : DOODAD
46
Brink : EDGE
47
World No. 1 tennis player between Navratilova and Seles : GRAF
48
Lived in a blue state? : FELTSAD
50
One might be hard to sit for : BRAT
54
Pipes at some bars : HOOKAHS
56
Brings out : EDUCES
58
Downfall in many an Agatha Christie novel : POISON
60
Buzzed hairstyle : FLATTOP
62
Stops harping on something : DROPSIT
64
Like a sparsely attended party : DEAD
65
See 66-Down : HERE
66
With 65-Down, "Ditto" : SAME
67
Pelvic exercises : KEGELS
72
Give attitude : SASS
74
Instruction for a course? : RECIPE
76
Earnings : PAY
78
Drew back : EBBED
80
"Sorry to intrude ..." : AHEM
81
Certain monkey ... or monk : CAPUCHIN
82
"Jackpot!" : CHACHING
83
One needing new, unburned pants? : LIAR
84
De-lights? : DIMS
85
Oil-rich state, for short : UAE
88
Appliance with apps : SMARTTV
92
Yearns (for) : LUSTS
93
Fashionable pair : ITEM
94
Cover for "little piggies" : BOOTEE
96
"Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk" is the last short story he wrote : KAFKA
97
"Take that!" : THERE
98
Kind of chemical bond in salts : IONIC
99
Vivacious quality : SPUNK
100
What a meta clue might do to itself : REFER
103
Chicago mayor Lightfoot : LORI
104
Brick made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene : LEGO
105
New ___ : AGER
106
Showy basket : DUNK
107
Lifesavers, for short : EMTS
108
Piece of equipment for gold medalist Lindsey Vonn : SKI
110
Marauder of old : HUN
111
Lifelong bud, slangily : BFF
112
Partner of hem : HAW

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

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
112 ms