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New York Times, Thursday, August 28, 2025

Author:
Joel Woodford
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Recently dated
TotalDebutLatest
38/28/20257/30/2026
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0100200
CircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
11.68427.626%
Joel Woodford

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 78, Blocks: 38 Missing: {JVXZ} Spans: 1 This is the debut puzzle for Mr. Woodford. Grid flow: 36.7 Thursday freshness: 8%
Jim Horne notes:

Four clues are Spoonerisms. Read "Recently dated" at 17-Across as "Decently rated", etc.

1
L
2
A
3
P
4
P
5
I
6
G
7
S
8
T
9
Y
10
S
11
M
12
S
13
A
P
R
14
A
N
E
M
I
A
15
H
A
N
16
A
17
G
O
O
18
D
E
N
O
U
G
H
19
A
R
A
B
20
S
P
O
O
L
21
G
R
E
W
22
R
I
F
E
23
F
I
L
24
L
25
F
R
E
26
A
K
O
U
T
27
B
28
A
R
29
A
O
30
L
31
H
S
T
32
A
S
E
33
A
34
L
A
35
D
36
S
37
H
A
38
I
39
K
40
U
41
C
H
A
I
42
N
L
I
N
K
43
F
E
N
C
E
S
44
H
Y
D
R
A
45
R
A
I
L
46
K
A
L
E
47
P
I
48
P
49
T
U
50
T
51
L
P
S
52
F
53
E
54
L
L
F
L
55
A
56
T
57
B
A
58
W
L
59
A
Q
U
A
60
A
M
O
61
S
62
L
A
D
63
L
64
E
65
R
U
I
N
66
S
P
O
O
67
N
E
R
I
S
M
68
M
A
G
E
69
M
E
T
R
O
S
70
B
A
M
71
L
I
S
72
A
D
H
E
R
E
73
S
T
A
© 2025, The New York Times8/28/25 ( No. 27,687 )
Across
1
"Table" for one's TV dinner, perhaps : LAP
4
Messy abode : PIGSTY
10
Texting format, in brief : SMS
13
Period that begins with a day of pranks: Abbr. : APR
14
Weakness : ANEMIA
15
___ Highway (Maui tourist attraction) : HANA
17
Recently dated : GOODENOUGH
19
Many a citizen of Abu Dhabi : ARAB
20
It's used for wrapping up a film : SPOOL
21
Gained a wider following : GREW
22
Riddled (with) : RIFE
23
Top up : FILL
25
No guts : FREAKOUT
27
Where someone might ask for a screwdriver : BAR
29
Early tech giant : AOL
31
Fair Deal prez : HST
32
Like Frodo at the end of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy : ASEA
34
Chaps : LADS
37
Poem that's typically unrhymed : HAIKU
41
Battle carriers : CHAINLINKFENCES
44
Mythological beast able to regenerate its heads : HYDRA
45
Commuter option : RAIL
46
Non-fruit ingredient in a green smoothie : KALE
47
One of three in the Domino's logo : PIP
49
Syllable akin to "Tsk!" : TUT
51
Audiophile's collection, for short : LPS
52
Packed lunch : FELLFLAT
57
Wail : BAWL
59
Shade in a picturesque island scene, maybe : AQUA
60
Follower of Joel : AMOS
62
Here's the scoop! : LADLE
65
Colossally bad consequence, as with finances : RUIN
66
Feature of the clues for 17-, 25-, 41- and 52-Across : SPOONERISM
68
Wizard : MAGE
69
Some underground networks : METROS
70
"Kapow!" : BAM
71
Fleur-de-___ : LIS
72
Follow, with "to" : ADHERE
73
"Come ___?" (Italian for "How are you?") : STA
Down
1
Problems with a livestream, maybe : LAGS
2
For one : APOP
3
Mark one's words? : PROOFREAD
4
Rice dish seasoned with saffron : PAELLA
5
Stop for the night, say : INN
6
Social studies subj. : GEOG
7
Resident of a hidden mushroom village : SMURF
8
Go-getter : TIGER
9
Hebrew name for God : YAHWEH
10
Reality show whose contestants give pitches : SHARKTANK
11
Red-clad brother of 54-Down : MARIO
12
Major mess : SNAFU
16
Provide support for something crooked? : ABET
18
"___ ever!" : DOI
24
Take it easy : LOLL
26
First Black male tennis player to be ranked #1 globally : ASHE
27
___ party (pre-wedding activity, informally) : BACH
28
Ghostly in appearance : ASHY
30
The Batcave, for one : LAIR
33
They might have their noses turned up : AIRPLANES
35
Basis for how you're wired, so to speak : DNA
36
Bit of camp entertainment : SKIT
38
"That one's mine!" : ICALLDIBS
39
Member of a marine "forest" : KELP
40
Functions : USES
42
Innocent sort : NAIF
43
Mess up : FLUB
48
Kind of TV : PLASMA
50
Gay ___, author of "Honor Thy Father" : TALESE
52
Stable environment? : FARM
53
Like 4! and 24 : EQUAL
54
Green-clad brother of 11-Down : LUIGI
55
Psyched : AMPED
56
John Lennon had one that sold for more than $31,000 at a 2011 auction (fittingly, to a dentist!) : TOOTH
58
Word with price or proxy : WAR
61
Ticked off : SORE
63
It's partly an assessment of logical reasoning, for short : LSAT
64
___ D'Arcy, co-star of HBO's "House of the Dragon" : EMMA
67
Conjunction used in logic : NOR

Answer summary:

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