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New York Times, Sunday, December 14, 2025

Author:
Zachary Edward-Brown and John Kugelman
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
17-Across : Irritate
TotalDebutCollabs
112/14/20251
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1000000
CircleDebutFlowFresh
1846.373%
Zachary Edward-Brown
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
167/30/20232/1/20263
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
14100100
CircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
11.6016541.664%
John Kugelman

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 138, Blocks: 75 Missing: {JQZ} This is the debut puzzle for Mr. Edward-Brown. This is puzzle # 15 for Mr. Kugelman. Grid flow: 46.3 Sunday freshness: 73%
Will Shortz notes:
Zachary Edward-Brown is a 16-year-old high school junior in Highland Park, Ill. John Kugelman, of Gainesville, Va., is a software engineer and veteran crossword maker. Zachary reached ... read more
Constructor notes:
Zachary: "I'm very excited to be making my NYT debut today, especially because it's alongside one of my favorite constructors, who also turned out to be a dream collaborator! I had the ... read more
Jim Horne notes:

Shaded squares spell out state names but with one circled letters altered. The circled letters from top to bottom spell MISPLACED.

1
S
2
T
3
O
4
R
5
M
6
T
7
O
8
P
9
L
10
S
11
U
12
C
13
A
14
R
15
D
16
S
17
C
H
A
F
E
18
W
R
A
19
P
U
P
S
20
R
E
V
E
R
E
21
O
O
H
I
M
22
S
O
S
C
A
R
E
D
23
P
A
D
A
W
A
N
24
P
R
U
D
E
N
T
25
M
I
K
A
26
F
A
V
E
27
I
F
S
28
E
P
A
29
A
I
30
D
A
N
31
R
32
H
I
N
E
33
U
N
T
O
34
D
E
N
35
V
36
E
R
M
I
N
T
37
M
A
R
S
L
38
A
N
D
E
R
39
E
L
L
E
N
40
P
E
T
E
Y
41
B
A
S
E
S
42
E
N
O
S
43
G
44
O
45
A
L
N
E
T
46
G
E
L
47
F
L
I
P
A
48
H
O
U
S
E
49
D
R
50
U
M
L
I
51
N
52
E
53
S
54
A
L
I
55
E
T
E
56
T
S
A
57
R
58
A
B
C
59
K
E
N
O
60
V
E
S
61
T
S
62
L
63
I
S
A
64
V
65
A
P
E
66
F
E
W
E
R
67
O
S
H
A
68
S
L
R
69
M
70
A
L
L
71
R
72
C
A
73
E
M
T
74
W
H
A
T
75
A
H
O
O
76
T
77
N
O
T
78
E
X
A
C
79
T
L
Y
80
T
R
Y
81
N
E
82
G
A
T
O
R
83
N
E
A
L
84
S
85
P
86
I
L
T
87
D
W
E
L
L
88
N
89
O
T
I
P
90
I
O
W
E
Y
91
O
U
O
N
E
92
G
93
A
I
N
E
D
A
94
D
95
A
96
Y
97
C
L
A
D
98
P
R
O
S
E
99
A
L
E
V
E
100
O
L
E
101
K
E
N
102
M
E
A
D
103
C
104
O
L
D
105
I
N
106
E
107
R
T
I
A
108
B
A
T
109
H
I
N
G
110
A
L
T
E
R
111
E
D
S
T
A
T
E
S
112
A
X
I
O
M
S
113
C
U
R
S
I
V
E
114
A
G
E
N
T
115
Y
E
N
T
E
116
T
B
A
117
N
E
O
118
S
U
D
S
Y
© 2025, The New York Times12/14/25 ( No. 27,795 )
Across
1
Marvel superhero who can manipulate weather patterns : STORM
6
Something fun to take out for a spin : TOP
9
Shaquille O'Neal's alma mater, for short : LSU
12
Parts of a hand : CARDS
17
Irritate : CHAFE
18
Recaps : WRAPUPS
20
Paul whose house is one of the 16 historic sites of Boston's Freedom Trail : REVERE
21
False alarm announcement? : OOHIMSOSCARED
23
Jedi-in-training : PADAWAN
24
Sensible : PRUDENT
25
TV host Brzezinski : MIKA
26
#1 choice, in slang : FAVE
27
"No ___, ands or buts!" : IFS
28
Pollution-fighting org. : EPA
29
"Game of Thrones" actor Gillen : AIDAN
31
River that borders the Black Forest : RHINE
33
"Render ___ Caesar ..." : UNTO
34
Major coin producer : DENVERMINT
37
Viking I or II : MARSLANDER
39
Astronaut Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman in space : ELLEN
40
Nickname for Mark's unsevered best friend in "Severance" : PETEY
41
They turn red litmus paper blue : BASES
42
First chimpanzee to orbit Earth : ENOS
43
Football blocker? : GOALNET
46
Hair-raising stuff : GEL
47
Remodel and resell some real estate : FLIPAHOUSE
49
Marching band tempo setters : DRUMLINES
54
Who said "It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am" : ALI
55
Season to enjoy une glace : ETE
56
Ruler before 1917 : TSAR
58
"Black-ish" airer : ABC
59
It's a numbers game : KENO
60
Clothing for SWAT teams : VESTS
62
"The Simpsons" character who becomes obsessed with crossword puzzles : LISA
64
Puff piece? : VAPE
66
Like the number of Oscars vis-à-vis the number of Emmys : FEWER
67
Plant watcher, for short : OSHA
68
Camera type, in brief : SLR
69
Site of some Santa sightings : MALL
71
Longtime record label of Elvis Presley : RCA
73
911 responder : EMT
74
"Hilarious!" : WHATAHOOT
77
"I mean, kind of ..." : NOTEXACTLY
80
"Don't give up!" : TRY
81
¬ or ~, in logic : NEGATOR
83
Beat poet ___ Cassady : NEAL
84
Like some milk, idiomatically : SPILT
87
___ on the past : DWELL
88
Indication of bad service : NOTIP
90
"Much obliged" : IOWEYOUONE
92
Crossed the International Date Line from east to west, or west to east (depending on how you look at it) : GAINEDADAY
97
Bundled up : CLAD
98
Articles are written in this : PROSE
99
Brand name for naproxen : ALEVE
100
___ Miss : OLE
101
Doll that comes in multiple body types, skin tones, eye colors and hair colors : KEN
102
Drink known also as "honey wine" : MEAD
103
Frosty : COLD
105
Subject of Newton's first law : INERTIA
108
Enjoying a soak : BATHING
110
1980 horror film starring William Hurt ... or what the shaded squares contain? : ALTEREDSTATES
112
Fundamental rules of math : AXIOMS
113
Loopy writing : CURSIVE
114
Star pitcher? : AGENT
115
"Fiddler on the Roof" matchmaker : YENTE
116
Letters for an unscheduled event : TBA
117
Prefix with natal : NEO
118
Like a bubble bath : SUDSY
Down
1
Surveyed, with "out" : SCOPED
2
Early track star Jim : THORPE
3
Resident of Honolulu, e.g. : OAHUAN
4
Touchless payment tech : RFID
5
Internet ___ : MEME
6
Cheat on, in a way : TWOTIME
7
Surgery sites, in brief : ORS
8
Video game character with an endless appetite : PACMAN
9
Be in a chat room but not chat : LURK
10
Soldiers with long arms : SPEARMEN
11
Alternative to the euro, in brief : USD
12
Relinquish : CEDE
13
Director DuVernay : AVA
14
Turns back the clock, maybe? : REWINDS
15
Opposite of volunteer : DRAFTEE
16
Parts of many robots in robot-sumo : SENSORS
19
Area inside the free-throw line, in basketball slang : PAINT
20
"Gaspard de la Nuit" composer : RAVEL
22
Addresses angrily : SNARLSAT
23
Variety of violet : PANSY
26
Urban safety hazard : FIRETRAP
30
Australia's largest carnivorous mammal : DINGO
32
Word used 10 times in Roger Ebert's review of "North" (1994) : HATED
33
Dissimilar : UNALIKE
35
Part of a legendary boast : VENI
36
Skips all the ceremony? : ELOPES
38
The brother in "Am I my brother's keeper?" : ABEL
40
What might be made while clasping one's hands : PLEA
42
Engineer Gray who, arguably, invented the telephone — and battled Alexander Graham Bell over it in court for years : ELISHA
44
Ballpark figure : OUTS
45
Kind of tea : ASSAM
46
Sierra automaker : GMC
47
Shylock's security : FLESH
48
Adele song with the lyric "I must have called a thousand times" : HELLO
50
Non-premium option in a rideshare app : UBERX
51
Gaming mogul Gabe : NEWELL
52
Ernst Stavro Blofeld, to James Bond : ENEMY
53
Put into piles, perhaps : SORT
54
Swear : AVOW
57
Parking space for an Airstream, say, in brief : RVLOT
61
Did some school reporting? : TATTLED
63
Exceptionally hard timber : IRONWOOD
65
Amy Winehouse, e.g. : ALTO
66
Thumbprint alternative on iPhones : FACEID
68
Reluctant to ask out one's crush, maybe : SHY
70
Particularly particular : ANAL
72
Cafeterias : CANTEENS
75
Like many indie films : ARTY
76
Many characters in the 2007 comedy "Superbad" : TEENS
78
He had a Billboard Hot 100 hit with "Rubber Duckie" : ERNIE
79
Tortilla de patatas, por ejemplo : TAPA
82
Where high schoolers work on their numbers? : GLEECLUB
84
Starship's medical facility : SICKBAY
85
Ren faire prop akin to a halberd : POLEAXE
86
"Sign me up!" : IWANTIN
87
Hair-care item associated with Black culture : DURAG
89
Like YouTube offerings : ONVIDEO
91
Commences : OPENS
92
Rough drafts? : GALES
93
Interview guest whom Ali G calls "my man Buzz Lightyear here" : ALDRIN
94
Like lowercase i's and j's : DOTTED
95
Sci-fi sequel of 1986 : ALIENS
96
Like soft rolls : YEASTY
102
Wordless entertainment : MIME
104
Other, to Octavio : OTRA
106
Brief announcements from a pilot : ETAS
107
___ alla bolognese (slow-cooked sauce) : RAGU
109
Like hell! : HOT
110
Play a part, or part of a play : ACT
111
Part of N.Y.E. : EVE

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

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