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BRING YOUR 'A' GAME

New York Times, Sunday, March 22, 2020

Author:
Brendan Emmett Quigley
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
9-Down : Take from the top?
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
1938/7/199612/22/202321
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
385152119522716
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
531.631,16472%
Brendan Emmett Quigley

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 136, Blocks: 70 Missing: {Z} Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 185 for Mr. Quigley. Jeff Chen's Puzzle of the Week pick. Sunday freshness: 86%
Will Shortz notes:
Brendan Emmett Quigley of Brookline, Mass., has been creating puzzles for The Times since 1996 when he was a senior at college. This is his 170th regular crossword for the paper. For ... read more
Brendan Emmett Quigley notes:

If you had no idea about rock history at all, and only listened to the Boston classic rock radio station, you'd think AC/DC was the greatest band of all time.

Jeff Chen notes:
My memory for crosswords is long. After reading the title, I immediately thought of another of BEQ's Sunday puzzles, playing on As. I steeled myself, wondering if it'd be another A ... read more
1
P
2
A
3
P
4
A
5
S
6
C
7
O
8
M
9
B
10
A
11
T
12
S
13
L
14
I
15
M
16
J
17
I
18
M
19
T
B
I
L
L
20
B
L
U
E
C
A
21
P
22
P
E
N
T
O
D
E
23
A
C
Q
U
I
24
R
E
A
C
H
O
I
R
25
I
N
C
E
N
S
E
26
S
T
U
M
P
E
R
27
H
E
R
28
F
29
C
C
30
A
T
B
A
T
31
V
E
N
O
M
32
A
N
33
O
I
S
E
34
A
N
N
O
Y
S
35
I
N
S
36
I
37
P
38
I
D
39
S
R
I
40
I
T
A
N
41
L
42
S
43
U
44
V
I
M
45
P
U
M
M
46
E
L
S
47
J
48
A
49
W
50
A
P
P
51
A
52
L
53
L
A
P
A
54
U
L
55
I
D
S
56
P
O
N
Y
57
R
E
D
B
E
A
N
S
58
N
A
59
S
60
S
A
U
61
D
E
V
I
L
62
S
W
O
R
E
T
O
63
A
U
N
T
E
M
64
C
E
R
I
S
E
65
A
R
I
V
66
A
L
S
A
R
R
I
67
V
A
L
S
68
A
69
F
70
G
H
A
N
71
T
E
E
H
E
E
72
O
U
T
O
73
F
74
I
75
T
76
C
R
O
A
T
77
D
E
E
D
E
E
78
M
I
L
A
N
E
S
E
79
D
E
E
M
80
P
E
A
81
A
T
82
T
A
C
K
S
A
T
A
X
83
C
D
S
84
T
O
Y
L
85
A
86
N
D
87
E
N
E
88
T
O
T
89
P
90
A
S
O
91
I
R
E
92
C
A
N
D
93
I
94
E
95
S
96
A
97
V
O
W
E
L
98
A
V
O
W
99
A
L
100
K
L
E
101
I
102
N
103
B
A
S
A
L
104
D
E
M
105
B
O
106
S
107
L
E
A
R
N
E
108
D
109
O
N
T
R
I
110
A
L
111
A
112
P
A
T
C
113
H
Y
A
P
A
C
H
E
114
R
C
A
D
O
M
E
115
S
A
T
H
O
M
E
116
S
P
A
I
N
117
T
E
L
S
T
A
R
118
P
E
S
T
O
S
119
E
E
N
S
Y
© 2020, The New York Times3/22/20 ( No. 25,702 )
Across
1
Half of a 1960s folk-rock group : PAPAS
6
Action : COMBAT
12
Car thief's tool : SLIMJIM
19
Govt.-backed investment : TBILL
20
Another name for the cornflower : BLUECAP
22
Vacuum tube with five active components : PENTODE
23
What the church's music director wanted to do? : ACQUIREACHOIR
25
Stick in a church : INCENSE
26
Difficult problem : STUMPER
27
"I'm With ___" (2016 campaign slogan) : HER
28
Broadband overseer, for short : FCC
30
Up : ATBAT
31
Nasty words : VENOM
32
Truism about unwanted sound? : ANOISEANNOYS
35
Dull : INSIPID
39
Indian term of address : SRI
40
Call ___ early night : ITAN
41
Sch. on the Mississippi River : LSU
44
Robustness : VIM
45
Pounds : PUMMELS
47
Chatter : JAW
50
Greatly dismay one of the Beatles? : APPALLAPAUL
55
Picture cards : IDS
56
Carousel figure : PONY
57
Staple in Creole cooking : REDBEANS
58
West Indies city that's home to Lynden Pindling International Airport : NASSAU
61
Classic Halloween costume : DEVIL
62
Affirmed under oath : SWORETO
63
Literary character whose house is uprooted by a tornado : AUNTEM
64
Shade similar to claret : CERISE
65
Times when your archenemy shows up? : ARIVALSARRIVALS
68
Decorative throw : AFGHAN
71
Quaint giggle : TEEHEE
72
In a daze : OUTOFIT
76
Native of Hrvatska, e.g. : CROAT
77
One of the Ramones : DEEDEE
78
Dipped in egg and bread crumbs, then fried : MILANESE
79
Consider : DEEM
80
Unimpressive brain size : PEA
81
What the antigovernment activist does? : ATTACKSATAX
83
Acct. holdings : CDS
84
Setting of a 1903 Victor Herbert operetta : TOYLAND
87
Spanish letter with a tilde : ENE
88
Little kid : TOT
89
___ doble (dance) : PASO
91
What's not a good fit? : IRE
92
Halloween haul : CANDIES
96
"Aye" or "Oui"? : AVOWELAVOWAL
100
Anne of fashion : KLEIN
103
Pertaining to the lowest possible level : BASAL
104
Rep.'s opponent : DEM
105
One of the N.H.L.'s original six teams: Abbr. : BOS
107
Scholarly : LEARNED
109
Facing a judge : ONTRIAL
111
Geronimo, when his beard was just coming in? : APATCHYAPACHE
114
Former Indianapolis arena : RCADOME
115
Didn't go out : SATHOME
116
America's foe in an 1898 war : SPAIN
117
Noted satellite of 1962 : TELSTAR
118
Some green sauces : PESTOS
119
Very small : EENSY
Down
1
Some book fair organizers, for short : PTAS
2
"The Good Doctor" airer : ABCTV
3
Arouse : PIQUE
4
Class Notes subjects : ALUMNI
5
Get into with little effort : SLIPON
6
One who asks "Got your ears on?" : CBER
7
Rio hello : OLA
8
Significantly : MUCH
9
Take from the top? : BEHEAD
10
Nut seen on the back of a dime : ACORN
11
___ chi ch'uan (martial art) : TAI
12
Liven (up) : SPICE
13
Billionaire Blavatnik : LEN
14
Recites, as a spell : INCANTS
15
Sight from Catania, in brief : MTETNA
16
Frontman whom People magazine once named "sexiest rock star" : JONBONJOVI
17
"Methinks ..." : IDSAY
18
Matches : MEETS
21
Co. that might hire influencers : PRFIRM
24
Radiation units : REMS
29
TV show with the theme song "Won't Get Fooled Again" : CSIMIAMI
33
Sch. whose mascot is Brutus Buckeye : OSU
34
Suffers (from) : AILS
36
1887 Chekhov play : IVANOV
37
Spots at the card table : PIPS
38
"___ bit confused" : IMA
41
Director von Trier : LARS
42
Gush : SPEW
43
Hairstyle that calls for a lot of spray : UPDO
45
Do some prescheduling : PLANAHEAD
46
Ending with "umich." : EDU
48
Black birds : ANIS
49
Actor Noah of "ER" : WYLE
51
Prophet believed to be buried in the Cave of the Patriarchs : ABRAHAM
52
Eye luridly : LEERAT
53
Foreign language seen on U.S. money : LATIN
54
In mint condition : UNUSED
56
Avatar : PERSONA
59
Park place? : STREET
60
Extremely dry : SERE
61
Symbols of change, in math : DELTAS
63
Protected on a boat : ALEE
64
Bathroom sealant : CAULK
66
Ravaged, as mosquitoes might : ATEALIVE
67
Spoke aloud : VOICED
68
Rock band whose lead guitarist notably dresses in a schoolboy uniform : ACDC
69
Actor Armisen : FRED
70
Flies into a violent rage : GOESPOSTAL
73
Sci-fi bounty hunter Boba ___ : FETT
74
Golfer Aoki : ISAO
75
Reach out with one's hands? : TEXT
77
Susan of "L.A. Law" : DEY
78
Abolitionist Horace : MANN
80
Spot for cannonballs : POOL
82
Part of a Victorian social schedule : TEA
84
Who wrote "This is the way the world ends / Not with a bang but a whimper" : TSELIOT
85
Enticing smells : AROMAS
86
In mint condition : NEW
90
Some honors : AWARDS
92
Polishing aids : CLOTHS
93
Flatpack retailer : IKEA
94
Go by : ELAPSE
95
Mexican wrap : SERAPE
96
Cancel early : ABORT
97
Former secretary of state Cyrus : VANCE
98
Psychotherapist Alfred : ADLER
99
Diminish : ABATE
101
Like Machu Picchu : INCAN
102
Some fruit-flavored sodas : NEHIS
106
___-free : SCOT
107
Caustic cleaners : LYES
108
Not allow : DENY
110
Residency org. : AMA
112
Trivial content : PAP
113
Benefits plan, maybe : HMO

Answer summary:
9 unique to this puzzle, 3 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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