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What Are the Odds?

New York Times, Sunday, May 3, 2026

Author:
Mark Diehl
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Client's sales agent, in brief
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
8011/11/19845/3/20263
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
4224720383
RebusCircleScrabDebutPre‑WSFlow
311.57619849.7
Mark Diehl

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 138, Blocks: 77 Missing: {X} This is puzzle # 80 for Mr. Diehl. Grid flow: 34.4 Sunday freshness: 87%
Will Shortz notes:
Mark Diehl is a dentist with the V.A. hospital in Palo Alto, Calif. He reviews and authorizes treatment plans for veterans receiving private dental care when they live too far to visit a ... read more
Jim Horne notes:

Circled "odd" letters in theme answers combine to match the clue in the following answer.

1
I
2
C
3
H
4
C
5
P
6
R
7
O
8
K
9
E
10
D
11
S
12
A
13
T
14
A
15
T
16
O
17
P
18
M
U
D
19
H
O
L
E
20
P
I
T
A
21
T
E
A
C
H
M
E
22
A
T
T
U
N
E
D
23
P
L
A
S
24
T
I
C
S
H
E
E
T
25
S
26
G
I
V
E
S
A
D
27
A
R
N
28
H
O
R
29
S
T
R
A
T
A
30
I
N
S
31
I
L
E
32
O
S
33
E
34
A
R
E
S
35
N
O
E
36
A
37
S
38
Y
T
A
S
39
K
40
S
T
I
C
41
K
42
Y
P
A
D
S
43
E
N
T
R
A
P
44
S
S
E
45
W
I
N
O
N
A
46
I
N
R
47
E
48
E
49
R
I
N
50
N
O
D
51
R
52
A
53
M
54
A
55
B
56
R
57
I
D
G
E
T
58
J
59
O
N
E
S
60
L
O
W
D
I
G
I
T
61
E
I
N
62
S
N
O
G
63
T
H
64
R
U
65
S
A
F
E
S
T
66
L
E
F
67
T
68
A
W
R
69
Y
70
Y
O
R
71
E
72
E
T
T
E
73
I
S
A
Y
74
S
75
O
76
L
E
A
77
S
78
F
I
L
79
M
80
W
E
S
81
K
E
N
K
E
S
82
E
Y
83
C
H
84
I
L
D
S
U
85
P
86
P
O
R
T
87
E
N
T
E
N
T
E
88
P
H
Y
S
89
E
Z
R
A
90
T
E
N
91
H
U
T
92
A
93
C
94
C
95
A
O
R
96
T
97
A
98
L
99
B
100
A
101
R
102
B
A
R
I
A
N
S
103
T
H
I
104
N
K
P
I
E
C
E
105
E
L
I
A
106
E
D
T
107
O
R
E
108
A
C
A
109
A
M
O
N
110
R
111
A
112
H
E
113
W
114
A
C
C
O
115
U
116
N
117
T
R
E
P
118
N
O
T
Q
U
I
119
T
E
R
I
120
G
H
T
121
B
R
O
C
O
D
E
122
N
E
U
T
R
A
L
123
M
A
M
A
124
O
B
T
U
S
E
R
125
D
R
E
S
S
U
P
126
P
H
E
W
127
P
S
A
128
E
D
S
© 2026, The New York Times5/3/26 ( No. 27,935 )
Across
1
First person, in Austria : ICH
4
Pressing activity, for short? : CPR
7
Cleared to proceed : OKED
11
Perched on : SATATOP
18
Place for pigs to wallow : MUDHOLE
20
Shawarma wrap : PITA
21
"I'm here to learn" : TEACHME
22
In sync : ATTUNED
23
Moisture barrier supplies : PLASTICSHEETS
26
23-Across, oddly? : GIVESADARN
28
Vert. counterpart : HOR
29
Geological layers : STRATA
30
They got the votes : INS
31
Saint Barthélemy, par exemple : ILE
32
Sugar suffix : OSE
34
Father of Deimos : ARES
35
A hard job : NOEASYTASK
40
35-Across, oddly? : STICKYPADS
43
Catch in a sting : ENTRAP
44
Cleveland-to-Akron dir. : SSE
45
Ryder of "Stranger Things" : WINONA
46
Office memo starter : INRE
48
Leprechaun's land : ERIN
50
Conflict-averse : NODRAMA
55
Fictional diary writer : BRIDGETJONES
60
55-Across, oddly? : LOWDIGIT
61
A as in Austria : EIN
62
Lock lips, in London : SNOG
63
Drive-___ menu : THRU
65
Like the best bets : SAFEST
66
Abandoned : LEFT
68
Off-center : AWRY
70
Time gone by : YORE
72
Ending with the name Ann or Nan : ETTE
73
"Reason" given in a parental "explanation" : ISAYSO
76
Spots for grazing : LEAS
78
Pond scum, e.g. : FILM
80
Craven behind the camera : WES
81
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" author : KENKESEY
83
81-Across, oddly? : CHILDSUPPORT
87
Political understanding : ENTENTE
88
___ Ed : PHYS
89
Book before Nehemiah : EZRA
90
Boot camp shout : TENHUT
92
Stanford and Cal joined it in 2024 : ACC
95
From the heart, in a way : AORTAL
99
Conan and others : BARBARIANS
103
99-Across, oddly? : THINKPIECE
105
"Essays of ___" (19th-century collection) : ELIA
106
Summer hours in N.Y.C. : EDT
107
You smelt it! : ORE
108
Inits. fittingly filling the blanks of Obam_ _ _re : ACA
109
Luxor Temple deity : AMONRA
112
Take an ax to : HEW
114
Client's sales agent, in brief : ACCOUNTREP
118
114-Across, oddly? : NOTQUITERIGHT
121
Unspoken set of rules between dudes : BROCODE
122
N next to the gearshift : NEUTRAL
123
Ozzy Osbourne's "___, I'm Coming Home" : MAMA
124
More dimwitted : OBTUSER
125
Make more appealing, as something otherwise plain : DRESSUP
126
"Glad that's over!" : PHEW
127
Spot for charity, say, in brief : PSA
128
Newsroom staffers, for short : EDS
Down
1
"Just picture this!" : IMAGINE
2
Rudely interrupt, as a dance partner : CUTINON
3
Man cave fixture : HDTVSET
4
Snow jobs : CONS
5
Heartfelt ask : PLEA
6
Website with an alien logo : REDDIT
7
Treat badly, in a way : OPPRESS
8
Potter's furnace : KILN
9
Uber ride info, informally : ETA
10
Small amount in the kitchen : DASH
11
Adds with a spoon, say : STIRSIN
12
Org. for J. Robert Oppenheimer : AEC
13
U.S.S.R. news source : TASS
14
Zwei quadrupled : ACHT
15
What one might take or beat : THERAP
16
World Golf Hall-of-Famer Mark : OMEARA
17
Caressed : PETTED
19
Sector of a color wheel : HUE
24
"Yer darn ___!" : TOOTIN
25
Pert blurt : SASS
27
Cry often accompanied by a sigh : ALAS
33
Cut-rate, in brand names : ECONO
36
Parched : ARID
37
Named names : SANG
38
Belgian battle site in W.W. I : YPRES
39
"Neato!" : KEEN
40
Sounding like taffeta, say : SWISHY
41
More than suspects : KNOWS
42
When tripled, "You get the picture" : YADDA
47
Sicilian spewer : ETNA
49
Part of A.A.R.P.: Abbr. : RET
51
Loaded (with) : RIFE
52
When teething might end : AGETWO
53
Produce aisle device : MISTER
54
Swear : ATTEST
55
Mimic : BELIKE
56
Chewy chocolate candy brand : RIESEN
57
One sporting a onesie : INFANT
58
Loose-cheeked, as a mastiff : JOWLY
59
Fantastic beast : OGRE
60
Jarringly sensational : LURID
64
"u slay me" : ROFL
67
Day care charge : TYKE
69
Blue blood vessels? : YACHTS
71
"What ___ can I say?" : ELSE
74
German actress Berger with a career spanning eight decades : SENTA
75
Big name in blenders : OSTER
77
Reluctant to mingle, say : SHY
79
Classic elevator tunes : MUZAK
82
Start of a choosing rhyme : EENIE
84
"The time ___ hand" : ISAT
85
Stage item : PROP
86
___-mutuel betting : PARI
88
Kick starter? : PUNTER
91
Didn't go it alone, say : HADHELP
93
One of the so-called Five Civilized Tribes : CHOCTAW
94
Magazine fig. : CIRC
96
Fragrant garden hybrid : TEAROSE
97
Gave consent : ACCEDED
98
The lords in "The 12 Days of Christmas," e.g. : LEAPERS
99
Noggin : BEAN
100
Vegan milk source : ALMOND
101
Mob scene extra : RIOTER
102
French financial institution : BANQUE
104
Jazz subgenre for Wynton Marsalis : NEOBOP
110
Daily grinds : RUTS
111
Puts on : AIRS
113
Chicken (out) : WIMP
114
"I'm in such a fix" : AHME
115
Metro regions, informally : URBS
116
___ bene : NOTA
117
The Horned Frogs of Ft. Worth : TCU
119
19th of 24 : TAU
120
"Why, why, why?!" : GAH

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

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