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New York Times, Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Author:
Brad Lively
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Failing to pay bills on time may affect this
TotalDebutLatest
33/27/20255/26/2026
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0011100
RebusScrabDebutFlowFresh
11.641234.831%
Brad Lively

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 76, Blocks: 36 This is puzzle # 2 for Mr. Lively. Grid flow: 37.3 Wednesday freshness: 32%
Jim Horne notes:

It's hard to come up with original themes, but breaking up dances with action silhouettes that look like letters is not something you see every day.

1
H
2
I
3
T
4
M
5
E
6
C
7
L
8
E
9
F
10
S
11
E
12
M
13
O
14
O
N
E
A
L
15
T
A
R
O
T
16
C
M
D
17
C
R
E
D
I
18
S
C
O
R
E
19
H
A
D
20
K
E
N
O
21
I
C
E
S
22
P
23
O
O
F
S
24
N
25
A
D
A
26
M
I
L
L
I
27
V
28
I
N
C
E
N
29
T
30
A
N
G
O
G
31
H
32
H
I
H
A
T
33
R
E
Z
34
A
C
H
E
35
U
S
A
36
S
37
C
38
O
O
T
E
39
R
40
A
T
A
41
S
U
D
42
S
43
U
R
L
44
A
45
S
T
E
R
46
H
A
N
N
47
I
B
A
L
48
L
49
E
T
E
R
50
L
O
O
T
S
51
I
K
E
A
52
W
A
I
T
S
53
N
54
E
N
E
55
N
56
A
57
Y
58
S
59
H
I
D
60
B
61
R
E
A
K
D
62
A
N
C
E
S
63
A
D
E
64
A
B
O
V
E
65
R
E
R
U
N
66
T
S
A
67
D
I
N
E
D
68
E
D
E
N
S
overlay
© 2026, The New York Times2/25/26 ( No. 27,868 )
Across
1
[Taps casino table] : HITME
6
Signs of treble? : CLEFS
11
___ hair (edgy 2000s trend) : EMO
14
Longtime "Inside the NBA" analyst opposite Barkley : ONEAL
15
Deck in divination : TAROT
16
Mil. authority : CMD
17
Failing to pay bills on time may affect this : CREDITSCORE
19
Possessed : HAD
20
Lotto-like casino game : KENO
21
Summer treats in small cups : ICES
22
Sounds of sudden vanishing : POOFS
24
Zero : NADA
26
Inverse of kilo- : MILLI
27
"Self-Portrait With Bandaged Ear" painter, 1889 : VINCENTVANGOGH
32
Pair of cymbals in a drum kit : HIHAT
33
Tribal home, maybe, informally : REZ
34
Reason to take a painkiller : ACHE
35
So-called "melting pot," in brief : USA
36
E-bike alternative : SCOOTER
40
One ___ time : ATA
41
Bubbles in a bubble bath : SUDS
43
A QR code might access one : URL
44
Purplish perennial : ASTER
46
Villain ranked #1 on A.F.I.'s "100 Years ... 100 Heroes & Villains" list : HANNIBALLECTER
50
Ransacks : LOOTS
51
Retail chain with ready-to-assemble products : IKEA
52
Stays in line, say : WAITS
53
Hawaiian goose : NENE
55
Thumbs-down votes : NAYS
59
Buried : HID
60
Emulates the three figures in this puzzle ... or what the figures do within the answers to 17-, 27- and 46-Across? : BREAKDANCES
63
Fruit drink : ADE
64
On a higher level : ABOVE
65
Second-chance show : RERUN
66
Org. with metal detectors : TSA
67
Supped : DINED
68
Paradises : EDENS
Down
1
Pawn : HOCK
2
Concerning : INRE
3
One subject to a curfew, maybe : TEEN
4
So-called "Queen of Pop" : MADONNA
5
Former Giant Manning : ELI
6
Healthy self-image? : CTSCAN
7
Tie up : LACE
8
God depicted with a bow : EROS
9
Word between "word" and "word" : FOR
10
Intervene : STEPIN
11
Sound-track? : ECHOLOCATE
12
Combatant in an octagon-shaped cage : MMAFIGHTER
13
Calculated ratios : ODDS
18
Era competitor : TIDE
23
Gymnast Korbut dubbed the "Sparrow from Minsk" : OLGA
25
Behaves : ACTS
26
Where you might lose your way : MAZE
27
Demo graphics, maybe : VISUALAIDS
28
"This is news to me!" : IHADNOIDEA
29
Cyber punk? : TROLL
30
Tick doc : VET
31
When repeated, "Preach!" : HEAR
32
When repeated, secret : HUSH
37
Bear's heirs? : CUBS
38
60 minuti : ORA
39
Pulse quickly, as the heart : RACE
42
Bratty kid : SNOT
45
Was a fangirl of, say : STANNED
47
"Really awful" : ITSBAD
48
Connected : LINKED
49
Scraped (by) : EKED
52
"Huh?" : WHAT
53
Like the sign for Radio City Music Hall : NEON
54
Roof projection : EAVE
56
Farming area : ACRE
57
Actor Steven of "Beef" and "Nope" : YEUN
58
Tax IDs : SSNS
61
Result of a solo homer, for short : RBI
62
"There you ___!" : ARE

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

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