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New York Times, Thursday, January 29, 2026

Author:
Kit Sheffield
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
20-Across : Expand
TotalDebut
11/29/2026
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0000100
ScrabDebutFlowFresh
1.48326.921%
Kit Sheffield

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 76, Blocks: 36 Missing: {HJKQZ} Spans: 3 This is the debut puzzle for Mr. Sheffield. Grid flow: 26.9 Thursday freshness: 11%
Jim Horne notes:

In 2009, Joel Fagliano clued GGGGGGGGGGGGGGG as "G-String". Today, it's a G-ROW as in "grow" meaning "expand."

Similarly, we have a SOR-ROW and TOMOR-ROW.

1
L
2
I
3
M
4
O
5
W
6
A
7
G
8
S
9
M
10
I
11
S
12
T
13
S
14
A
D
A
M
15
I
D
O
L
16
I
N
L
A
W
17
N
I
C
E
18
N
A
N
O
19
D
I
A
N
A
20
G
G
G
G
21
G
G
G
G
G
22
G
G
G
G
G
G
23
Y
A
L
I
E
24
E
E
O
25
N
26
A
V
27
A
T
S
28
I
29
G
N
S
30
L
31
S
32
D
33
A
D
E
34
U
X
35
M
R
T
36
F
E
T
E
37
S
O
R
S
O
38
R
39
S
O
R
S
40
O
R
S
O
R
41
A
R
E
A
42
O
O
F
43
V
I
S
O
R
44
L
E
D
45
F
A
B
F
46
I
47
V
E
48
I
L
Y
49
D
O
S
50
M
A
R
51
T
S
52
T
53
O
54
M
O
R
T
55
O
56
M
O
R
T
O
M
57
O
58
R
59
O
R
A
T
E
60
M
I
N
I
61
N
O
P
E
62
D
A
L
E
S
63
E
R
I
E
64
A
R
E
S
65
D
L
I
S
T
66
N
E
T
S
67
L
E
N
T
© 2026, The New York Times1/29/26 ( No. 27,841 )
Across
1
Vehicle in which it's often legal to drink alcohol : LIMO
5
Jokesters : WAGS
9
Moistens, as a fern : MISTS
14
First lady's partner : ADAM
15
Object of veneration : IDOL
16
Oft-disparaged family member : INLAW
17
Busiest French airport not serving Paris : NICE
18
Prefix with technology : NANO
19
Roman goddess often depicted with a bow and arrow : DIANA
20
23
Sonia Sotomayor or Clarence Thomas, once : YALIE
24
Abbreviation in a help-wanted ad : EEO
25
Part of U.S.N.A.: Abbr. : NAV
27
@ @ @ : ATSIGNS
30
Trippy stuff : LSD
33
Folie ___ : ADEUX
35
Villain portrayer in "Rocky III" : MRT
36
Lavish celebration : FETE
37
Sadness : SORSORSORSORSOR
41
Base x height, for a parallelogram : AREA
42
Sound made with a wince : OOF
43
Extending brim : VISOR
44
Guided : LED
45
Michigan's historic 1991 basketball team, familiarly : FABFIVE
48
Texter's declaration of affection : ILY
49
Shags or bobs : DOS
50
7-Elevens, e.g. : MARTS
52
Day after today : TOMORTOMORTOMOR
59
Make a delivery, say : ORATE
60
___-golf : MINI
61
"Think again!" : NOPE
62
Lowlands : DALES
63
City in NW Pennsylvania : ERIE
64
God of war : ARES
65
Like some minor celebrities : DLIST
66
Five train in Brooklyn : NETS
67
Time when one might give up alcohol : LENT
Down
1
Clubber ___, "Rocky III" villain : LANG
2
"Capisce" : IDIG
3
Like a listening device made out of a paper clip, a plastic straw and seven Lego blocks : MACGYVERED
4
Symbol for ohms : OMEGA
5
Improvise : WINGIT
6
Pithy truths : ADAGES
7
Signal to get off the stage, say : GONG
8
Arduous journey : SLOG
9
Tiny flies : MIDGES
10
___ Montoya, "The Princess Bride" character : INIGO
11
Mining waste : SLAG
12
Powdered drink used by NASA : TANG
13
Thief's haul : SWAG
21
___SmithKline (2000 pharmaceutical merger) : GLAXO
22
Chaps : GENTS
25
Like some passages : NASAL
26
Love, love, love : ADORE
28
"Toodles!" : IMOFF
29
[That makes me so mad!] : GRR
30
"Too many cooks spoil the broth" principle : LESSISMORE
31
Bum's place in a bar : STOOL
32
Second-largest city in Northern Ireland : DERRY
34
Country that has hosted the most Olympics : USA
36
Common day to enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers: Abbr. : FRI
38
___ beast (dish in Whoville) : ROAST
39
Break down in tears : SOB
40
Blindingly obvious : OVERT
45
Ranger's domain : FOREST
46
"Leave this to me" : IMONIT
47
Is all over the map : VARIES
49
Showers affection (on) : DOTES
51
Like the Vietnamese language : TONAL
52
Rod Flanders's brother on "The Simpsons" : TODD
53
Like some traditions : ORAL
54
Bamako's land : MALI
55
Sign sought by one reading tea leaves : OMEN
56
Muck : MIRE
57
Major tennis tournament : OPEN
58
Pause indicator in sheet music : REST

Answer summary:
3 unique to this puzzle.

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