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The Inside Scoop

New York Times, Sunday, February 18, 2024

Author:
Sid Sivakumar
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
68-Down : Sea hawks
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
186/22/202011/3/20245
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5100318
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
121.6314279%
Sid Sivakumar

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 70 Missing: {XZ} This is puzzle # 17 for Mr. Sivakumar. Sunday freshness: 73%
Will Shortz notes:
Sid Sivakumar is an M.D./Ph.D. student at Washington University in St. Louis, training in biomedical engineering and neuroscience. This is his 17th crossword for The Times. Since the ... read more
Sid Sivakumar notes:
I know that phonetics-based themes can be hit-or-miss because people pronounce words differently. But I enjoy the unusual transformations in these sorts of puzzles. I love to imagine folks ... read more
1
G
2
I
3
S
4
S
5
C
6
R
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I
8
M
9
P
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O
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E
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M
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H
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E
15
A
16
P
17
A
P
P
18
S
19
C
A
R
A
F
E
20
I
N
N
O
21
C
E
N
C
E
22
S
L
O
P
23
O
N
E
P
E
R
24
P
O
T
R
O
A
S
T
S
25
H
A
T
E
26
R
A
D
E
27
A
L
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Y
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E
N
T
R
U
S
T
30
E
N
T
A
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L
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G
R
O
O
32
M
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E
R
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34
D
I
M
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35
A
T
E
K
O
S
H
36
E
R
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T
I
E
R
S
38
A
T
T
A
R
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T
O
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40
A
L
I
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G
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N
S
A
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A
C
H
E
D
44
O
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V
46
E
R
S
T
O
47
C
K
S
48
B
I
E
R
49
P
50
B
51
S
52
I
C
K
53
T
O
O
54
I
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T
E
M
56
O
57
R
58
B
59
S
60
A
I
N
61
T
S
O
62
H
E
N
N
63
A
64
R
E
S
65
C
U
E
O
P
66
I
D
A
H
O
67
J
U
D
I
C
I
68
O
U
S
69
A
G
G
I
E
70
R
E
F
E
R
71
R
A
L
72
N
O
R
S
E
73
I
N
H
A
L
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S
N
U
G
75
I
R
A
76
Q
77
R
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P
78
D
O
O
79
L
S
D
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R
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D
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U
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N
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T
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F
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R
A
M
E
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M
O
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R
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E
L
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A
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I
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D
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S
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C
L
A
P
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D
A
T
U
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M
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Y
E
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L
99
O
W
S
E
A
100
A
I
D
E
101
R
E
V
E
N
U
102
E
S
103
P
O
O
L
I
N
G
104
T
R
I
V
105
I
A
L
106
S
S
N
107
P
A
T
O
O
T
I
E
108
S
T
A
I
R
S
T
109
E
110
P
111
C
O
112
H
O
R
T
113
G
N
A
T
114
P
E
N
N
S
T
A
T
E
115
A
K
I
N
T
O
116
S
O
L
E
117
A
R
S
E
118
A
S
A
P
119
T
I
D
E
S
120
T
S
A
overlay
© 2024, The New York Times2/18/24 ( No. 27,130 )
Across
1
Mess hall patrons, in brief : GIS
4
Theater backdrop : SCRIM
9
Stressful work? : POEM
13
Disorganized stack : HEAP
17
Home screen array : APPS
19
Port container : CARAFE
20
Clean hands, so to speak : INNOCENCE
22
Spill (over) : SLOP
23
Strict sales limit, informally : ONEPER
24
Slow-cooked entrees : POTROASTS
25
Boos-y drink? : HATERADE
27
Olympic gymnast Raisman : ALY
29
Charge (with) : ENTRUST
30
Involves : ENTAILS
31
Some kennel personnel : GROOMERS
34
Only U.S. coin that does not explicitly indicate how many cents it's worth : DIME
35
Eschewed pork and shellfish, say : ATEKOSHER
37
Arena seating sections : TIERS
38
Perfume ingredient : ATTAR
39
Civil wrong : TORT
40
Comedy character who once asked the U.N. secretary general if Disneyland was part of the U.N. : ALIG
42
Org. whose initials are aptly hidden in "foreign satellite interception" : NSA
43
Really hurt : ACHED
44
Orders more of than necessary : OVERSTOCKS
48
Oktoberfest purchase : BIER
49
"Clifford the Big Red Dog" airer : PBS
52
"Gross!" : ICK
53
Excessively : TOO
54
Checkout unit : ITEM
56
Eyeballs, e.g. : ORBS
60
"Naw, no way!" : AINTSO
62
Hindu wedding adornment that's said to get darker the more the newlyweds love each other : HENNA
64
Lifesaving mission, for short : RESCUEOP
66
Its panhandle abuts British Columbia : IDAHO
67
Prudent : JUDICIOUS
69
Texas A&M athlete : AGGIE
70
One fast-tracked in an interview pool : REFERRAL
72
Like Loki : NORSE
73
Absolutely devour : INHALE
74
Fitting a little tight : SNUG
75
Home to the Great Ziggurat of Ur : IRAQ
77
Common jeans feature : RIP
78
"Whoop-de-___" : DOO
79
Subject of 1960s-'70s addiction research : LSD
80
Purges : RIDS
82
Things that perceptive people might pick up : UNDERTONES
86
Picture taker? : FRAME
88
Sound in "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" : MOO
89
Windy part of a kite? : REEL
90
The "A" of the ACT UP organization : AIDS
94
Thunderous sounds : CLAPS
95
Piece of info : DATUM
97
Body of water adjoining Korea Bay : YELLOWSEA
100
___-de-camp : AIDE
101
Proceeds : REVENUES
103
Putting together : POOLING
104
Hardly worth mentioning : TRIVIAL
106
ID whose first five digits are sometimes ignored : SSN
107
Keister : PATOOTIE
108
Flight segment : STAIRSTEP
111
Demographic group : COHORT
113
Tiny member of a swarm : GNAT
114
Big Ten school that plays home football games at Beaver Stadium : PENNSTATE
115
Much like : AKINTO
116
What hits the ground running? : SOLE
117
Seat in the London Stock Exchange? : ARSE
118
At the earliest chance : ASAP
119
They get high by the beach : TIDES
120
Airport screening inits. : TSA
Down
1
Winter house-warming option : GASHEAT
2
"That's my goal" : IPLANTO
3
Powerlifter's helper : SPOTTER
4
Marine predator often seen near shorelines : SANDSHARK
5
First Nations people : CREE
6
Best Melodic ___ Performance (Grammy category) : RAP
7
"My concern is …" : IFEAR
8
Variety used to make Bordeaux wine : MERLOT
9
Dot on a die : PIP
10
Musical artist Yoko : ONO
11
Joins those on the stage : ENTERS
12
Counterparts of eves : MORNS
13
With 61-Down, like some gossip ... as represented phonetically by each set of shaded squares? : HEARDTHROUGH
14
Like a bathroom directly connected to a bedroom : ENSUITE
15
Feigns indignation : ACTSMAD
16
Bug : PESTER
18
Address : SPEAKTO
19
Barbecue grill fill : COALS
21
Camp bed : COT
26
Summer Olympics host between London and Tokyo : RIO
28
Comics sound when something is snatched : YOINK
31
Clenched, as teeth : GRITTED
32
Record holder for most games played in the FIFA World Cup (26) : MESSI
33
Modern ___ : ERA
36
Trains above street level : ELS
38
Delivery that can't be returned : ACE
41
"Well, don't wait out here!" : GOONIN
43
Goals : AIMS
45
Sun shield : VISOR
46
___-conscious : ECO
47
Variety commonly found in jellies and pies : CONCORD
48
Wax figures? : BEES
49
Golf tournament division : PAIRS
50
President who campaigned on the slogan "Our best days still lie ahead" : BIDEN
51
Real pickle : SNAFU
55
So … or a word following "so" : TRUE
57
Fit for a king : REGAL
58
Sees red : BOILS
59
Word before dating or skating : SPEED
61
See 13-Down : THEGRAPEVINE
62
Dance at a luau : HULA
63
More open to the elements : AIRIER
65
Lake house rental : CANOE
67
Unnerves : JARS
68
Sea hawks : OSPREYS
71
Lyft request : RIDE
73
Lithium-___ battery : ION
76
"Don't ___ me …" : QUOTE
78
1994 single by Hole whose cover art depicts a miniature wedding dress and veil : DOLLPARTS
81
Real-time PC exchanges : IMS
83
Man, woman and child, e.g. : NOUNS
84
Little lifter : TEE
85
Snore loudly : SAWLOGS
86
One dropping amorous hints : FLIRTER
87
Trigonometry units : RADIANS
88
B-baller in Big D : MAV
91
"Am I mistaken?" : ISITNOT
92
Turndowns : DENIALS
93
Hot herbal brew : SAGETEA
94
Place to pamper pets that purr : CATSPA
95
Some rivers have them : DELTAS
96
Variety that shares its name with a Mideast capital : MUSCAT
98
Game with big prizes : LOTTO
99
"I'm not working right now," in email shorthand : OOO
101
Believer in Jah : RASTA
102
Mushroom added to ramen : ENOKI
105
Org. with the phone number 1-800-TAX-FORM : IRS
107
Cornmeal cake : PONE
109
Info you might send someone when you're running late : ETA
110
Liven (up) : PEP
112
Stashed away : HID

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

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