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

CRACKING WISE

New York Times, Sunday, February 4, 2018

Author:
David Levinson Wilk
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
33-Down : "Peter ___ Greatest Hits" (1974 album)
TotalDebutLatest
2612/2/19968/2/2020
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
7135271
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
121.5918256%
David Levinson Wilk

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 76 Missing: {QXZ} This is puzzle # 24 for Mr. Wilk. Sunday freshness: 49%
David Levinson Wilk notes:

There's always a next time, POTTYHUMOR and BELLYLAUGH. That said, hope this one helped all of you PUTONAHAPPYFACE.

Jeff Chen notes:
I enjoy puzzles that play with shapes. I'd seen "V sitting over I = Y" puzzles before, but I like David's additional layer, CRACKING WISE hinting that not only do the Ys get broken into V ... read more
1
T
2
H
3
E
4
P
5
R
6
U
7
B
8
A
9
S
10
S
11
T
12
U
13
B
14
A
15
D
16
R
17
A
18
C
19
O
20
A
A
R
O
N
S
21
A
U
T
U
M
N
A
L
22
R
I
C
A
N
23
T
H
A
T
S
H
24
Y
S
T
E
R
I
C
A
L
25
A
V
A
N
T
26
S
A
S
S
27
E
N
T
I
R
E
28
E
29
A
G
E
R
T
O
30
T
R
E
E
S
31
F
32
U
33
N
N
Y
O
R
D
I
E
34
U
35
T
36
E
37
R
U
S
38
M
39
A
40
D
A
M
E
41
A
N
S
42
P
O
L
O
N
I
43
U
44
S
45
R
O
B
A
R
46
D
S
47
A
48
L
49
P
50
D
R
Y
S
E
N
S
E
51
O
F
H
U
M
O
R
52
A
53
P
R
I
L
54
O
I
S
E
55
B
E
G
56
I
S
E
57
B
E
E
N
E
58
P
59
I
60
A
61
T
O
62
O
63
T
64
S
65
A
66
D
O
R
N
E
D
67
E
68
V
E
R
Y
69
B
O
D
Y
S
A
70
C
71
O
M
E
D
I
A
N
72
L
A
C
T
O
S
E
73
D
A
C
H
A
74
M
E
N
75
E
T
H
A
N
76
S
77
A
78
D
79
U
T
80
A
81
A
82
C
83
T
84
E
85
T
A
I
L
S
86
T
H
E
87
L
88
A
89
U
G
H
F
90
A
91
C
T
O
R
Y
92
S
T
P
93
U
S
E
R
I
D
S
94
S
C
R
E
A
M
A
T
95
V
96
A
R
97
R
E
R
O
O
98
F
99
G
O
L
A
M
E
100
Y
101
O
102
M
A
M
A
103
J
O
K
E
104
A
105
D
106
I
O
S
107
C
H
O
C
U
L
A
108
F
109
I
L
E
R
S
110
O
111
B
112
O
113
E
114
T
A
R
A
S
115
I
116
W
117
A
118
S
O
N
L
Y
K
I
119
D
D
I
N
G
120
O
R
A
T
E
121
L
A
B
N
O
T
E
S
122
E
N
I
G
M
A
123
R
E
N
E
S
124
S
T
A
L
L
O
N
E
125
S
A
N
D
E
D
© 2018, The New York Times2/4/18 ( No. 24,925 )
Across
1
52-story Boston skyscraper, familiarly : THEPRU
7
Brass instrument with a mellow sound : BASSTUBA
15
___ Malfoy, student at Hogwarts : DRACO
20
Sorkin and Spelling : AARONS
21
Kind of equinox : AUTUMNAL
22
Puerto ___ : RICAN
23
"Stop! You're killing me!" : THATSHYSTERICAL
25
___-garde : AVANT
26
Give some lip : SASS
27
Uncut : ENTIRE
28
More than willing : EAGERTO
30
For whom the Lorax speaks : TREES
31
Internet home to "Between Two Ferns" : FUNNYORDIE
34
Latin for "womb" : UTERUS
38
Monsieur's mate : MADAME
41
Y or N, maybe : ANS
42
Shakespeare character who says "This above all: to thine own self be true" : POLONIUS
45
Actor Jason : ROBARDS
47
Zugspitze, e.g. : ALP
50
A person skilled at deadpan has one : DRYSENSEOFHUMOR
52
What "4" may stand for : APRIL
54
French river or department : OISE
55
Beseech : BEG
56
Advert's ending? : ISE
57
Designer Geoffrey : BEENE
58
Carrier to Karachi : PIA
61
Tugboat sounds : TOOTS
65
Decked out : ADORNED
67
Unimpressed response to someone's one-liner : EVERYBODYSACOMEDIAN
72
___ intolerance : LACTOSE
73
Novo-Ogaryovo is the official one of the Russian president : DACHA
74
Lavatory sign : MEN
75
Hawke of "Training Day" : ETHAN
76
Regrettable : SAD
79
Broadway's Hagen : UTA
81
"Roméo et Juliette" segment : ACTE
85
Coin toss call : TAILS
86
Stand-up chain started in Los Angeles : THELAUGHFACTORY
92
Big engine additive : STP
93
Log-in needs : USERIDS
94
Verbally assail : SCREAMAT
95
"Iglu," for "igloo": Abbr. : VAR
97
Cover over, in a way : REROOF
99
Start limping : GOLAME
100
It might involve someone being "so poor" or "so old" : YOMAMAJOKE
104
"___, amigo" : ADIOS
107
Count ___ : CHOCULA
108
Nail salon employees, at times : FILERS
110
Its "reeds are a pain / And the fingering's insane," per Ogden Nash : OBOE
114
Lipinski and Reid : TARAS
115
"Jeez ... lighten up!" : IWASONLYKIDDING
120
Be grandiloquent : ORATE
121
To this day, Marie Curie's are still radioactive : LABNOTES
122
Mystery : ENIGMA
123
Lacoste and Descartes : RENES
124
Star of 1976's Oscar winner for Best Picture : STALLONE
125
Smoothed in a shop : SANDED
Down
1
Some body art, for short : TATS
2
"Hilarious!" : HAHA
3
Noteworthy times : ERAS
4
Lobster traps : POTS
5
Med. professionals who take a pledge named for Florence Nightingale : RNS
6
Welcomes : USHERSIN
7
Plaster : BASTE
8
Condition for filmdom's Rain Man : AUTISM
9
Suffix with speed : STER
10
"Oh, what the hell ... I'll do it" : SURE
11
"Uh, you've told me quite enough" : TMI
12
Where Michael Jordan played coll. ball : UNC
13
Meadow call : BAA
14
Poet Ginsberg : ALLEN
15
"Game of Thrones" creature : DRAGON
16
Joan who quipped "A Peeping Tom looked in my window and pulled down the shade" : RIVERS
17
"Pick ___ ..." : ACARD
18
"Pretty please?" : CANTI
19
Doing a pirouette, say : ONTOE
24
Poison ivy, e.g. : VINE
29
Some sneakers : AVIAS
30
Something carried onstage? : TUNE
31
"Terrif!" : FABU
32
Fifth category of taste with a Japanese name : UMAMI
33
"Peter ___ Greatest Hits" (1974 album) : NEROS
34
High hairstyle : UPDO
35
Doughnut figures : TORI
36
Late '50s singing sensation : ELVIS
37
One of many scattered in a honeymoon suite, maybe : ROSEPETAL
39
Light bark : ARF
40
Cry from Homer : DOH
43
Kind of port for a flash drive : USB
44
Manage : SEETO
46
Night vision? : DREAM
47
Bowl : ARENA
48
Maid's armful : LINEN
49
Made an appeal : PLED
51
Hymn starter : OGOD
52
Habitation : ABODE
53
Around the time of birth : PERINATAL
59
Chains : IRONS
60
Car rental giant : AVIS
62
Poet who wrote "Fortune and love favor the brave" : OVID
63
Org. that offers Precheck enrollment : TSA
64
___ fly : SAC
66
One on the left?: Abbr. : DEM
67
Greatly bother : EATAT
68
TV blocking device : VCHIP
69
Tops : BESTS
70
Finish all at once, in a way : CHUG
71
Things taken by government officials : OATHS
72
"Sounds like a plan!" : LETS
77
"Don't be ___!" : AHERO
78
___ Walcott, Nobel Prize-winning poet : DEREK
80
Patriots' org. : AFC
82
Bad state to be in : COMA
83
Mine transport : TRAM
84
Modern party summons : EVITE
87
Euros replaced them : LIRE
88
Bustle : ADO
89
Grp. that puts on a show : USO
90
Fleets : ARGOSIES
91
Wall St. bigwigs : CEOS
93
Like Mount Narodnaya : URAL
95
Empty : VACATE
96
Brings a smile to : AMUSES
98
Like some angels and dominoes : FALLEN
100
Champion : VICTOR
101
Airport that J.F.K. dedicated in 1963 : OHARE
102
Erin of "Joanie Loves Chachi" : MORAN
103
Locks up : JAILS
105
Concoct : DEVISE
106
Bug : IRK
108
Jester : FOOL
109
Feeling : INTO
110
Anthony Hopkins's "Thor" role : ODIN
111
City NNE of San Antone : BIGD
112
"My treat!" : ONME
113
"My stars!" : EGAD
116
Cambodia's Angkor ___ : WAT
117
Court org. : ABA
118
Skit show, for short : SNL
119
What makes you you? : DNA

Answer summary:
8 unique to this puzzle, 2 debuted here and reused later.

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
85 ms