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New York Times, Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Author:
Philip Koski
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Lizard mascot with a Cockney accent
TotalDebutLatest
312/8/20212/12/2025
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0002100
CircleScrabDebutFresh
21.511049%
Philip Koski

This puzzle:

Rows: 16, Columns: 15 Words: 77, Blocks: 40 Missing: {JQVXZ} Spans: 3 Grid has mirror symmetry. This is puzzle # 3 for Mr. Koski. Wednesday freshness: 86%
1
M
2
I
3
C
4
A
5
P
6
A
7
W
8
A
9
T
10
I
11
G
12
O
13
R
14
A
N
O
N
15
A
B
A
S
E
16
N
E
R
O
17
D
E
N
Y
18
L
E
G
I
T
19
S
I
A
M
20
D
E
F
I
21
N
I
T
E
A
R
22
T
I
C
L
E
23
D
I
D
I
N
24
A
R
G
O
S
25
D
E
C
26
F
27
I
28
B
29
A
N
G
30
S
31
P
E
A
K
32
S
O
N
E
33
S
P
I
E
34
C
35
E
36
P
A
S
S
37
T
R
A
L
A
38
A
C
H
E
39
E
P
I
40
R
A
H
41
L
L
42
C
43
K
E
N
44
C
I
N
45
D
E
R
E
46
L
L
A
S
47
T
O
R
Y
48
O
P
E
R
A
A
R
I
A
49
B
50
O
51
O
M
52
S
E
E
P
Y
53
I
54
F
55
S
56
O
57
I
N
C
A
58
S
59
E
L
L
E
N
60
B
E
H
I
N
61
D
62
A
63
P
64
A
Y
W
A
L
L
65
B
U
R
N
O
U
T
66
B
L
E
A
K
L
Y
67
P
E
S
T
O
S
68
R
I
D
G
E
S
© 2025, The New York Times2/12/25 ( No. 27,490 )
Across
1
Mineral that shimmers : MICA
5
Bat around, as a kitten might : PAWAT
10
Composer Stravinsky : IGOR
14
Like much graffiti: Abbr. : ANON
15
Belittle : ABASE
16
Emperor named an enemy of the state in A.D. 68 : NERO
17
Not admit : DENY
18
Aboveboard : LEGIT
19
Neighbor of Indonesia, on a Risk board : SIAM
20
23
Knocked off : DIDIN
24
City that was a rival of ancient Sparta : ARGOS
25
Big mo. for eggnog sales : DEC
26
Cover story? : FIB
29
Lee who directed "Gemini Man" : ANG
30
Talks frankly : SPEAKSONESPIECE
36
Screen play? : PASS
37
Singsong refrain : TRALA
38
Heating pad target : ACHE
39
Lead-in to -gram or -graph : EPI
40
Pep rally cry : RAH
41
Cousin of Inc. : LLC
43
Doll who debuted in swim trunks : KEN
44
Success against all odds : CINDERELLASTORY
48
Either of two for Mozart's Queen of the Night : OPERAARIA
49
"Take THAT!" : BOOM
52
Flowing slowly : SEEPY
53
"Should that happen …" : IFSO
57
Builders of 25,000+ miles of roads in South America : INCAS
59
TV's DeGeneres : ELLEN
60
With 63-Across, where some journalism is located ... or how to interpret the ends of 20-, 30- and 44-Across vis-à-vis the shaded squares : BEHINDA
63
See 60-Across : PAYWALL
65
Exhaustion from work : BURNOUT
66
Without much hope : BLEAKLY
67
Green sauces : PESTOS
68
Features of coins which make them harder to counterfeit : RIDGES
Down
1
Road safety org. : MADD
2
"___ to Know" (1999 Marc Anthony hit) : INEED
3
Tells private things : CONFIDESIN
4
"How will we ever get out of this mess?" : ANYIDEAS
5
Satirist Michael : PALIN
6
Drive for, maybe : ABET
7
___ gap : WAGE
8
It's east of the Urals : ASIA
9
Half of octo- : TETRA
10
Presidential seal, for one : INSIGNIA
11
Lizard mascot with a Cockney accent : GEICOGECKO
12
Some campus grilling events? : ORALS
13
Spanish Steps locale : ROME
21
Small cut : NICK
22
Where a wedge may be used : TRAP
26
Not to go : FORHERE
27
___ flash : INA
28
When to wave the white flag : BELLLAP
30
Guideline, in brief : SPEC
31
Big ___ (longtime Red Sox nickname) : PAPI
32
Some looks into space : STARES
33
___ cap : SALARY
34
Sole one-named Best Actress Oscar winner : CHER
35
Wee : EENY
40
One leg curl, e.g. : REP
42
CBS drama for 15 seasons : CSI
45
Realms : DOMAINS
46
Ka ___ (southernmost point in the U.S.) : LAE
47
Sign of a hound's happiness : TAILWAG
49
Kind of lettuce : BIBB
50
Top : ONEUP
51
Shade in a barren landscape : OCHRE
54
Undependable sort : FLAKE
55
Gives up the goods? : SELLS
56
"Above us ___ sky" ("Imagine" lyric) : ONLY
58
Pesky little brat : SNOT
59
Observed : EYED
61
Pop music's Wham! or Erasure : DUO
62
Email signs : ATS
63
Inexpensive beer, informally : PBR
64
Two-time Oscar winner Mahershala ___ : ALI

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

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