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TRIVIAL MATTERS

New York Times, Sunday, February 17, 2019

Author:
David Kwong
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
58-Across : Class skippers
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
244/1/200612/15/20245
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
5234721
RebusCircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
631.5911727.646%
David Kwong

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 77 This is puzzle # 19 for Mr. Kwong. Grid flow: 30.2 Sunday freshness: 77%
Will Shortz notes:
David Kwong is a professional magician and crossword constructor. He was the head magic consultant for the hit 2013 film Now You See Me (see the sly nod at 96-Down.) He is currently ... read more
David Kwong notes:
It's so nice to be back on glossy newsprint! Haven't had a Sunday puzzle for 9 years. Last one was Kevan Choset and my Mad Magazine Fold-In puzzle in 2010! This one has been cooking for ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
David riffing on the common complaint, that you have to know trivia to do crosswords. Today, you do! A lot of elegant elements, starting with the six Trivial Pursuit wedge colors, ... read more
Jim Horne notes:
The Will Shortz era at the NYT started with a memorable color rebus crossword. We have a list of the other color rebus puzzles here. Mr. Kwong gave a popular TED Talk in 2014 that had ... read more
1
M
2
A
3
D
4
E
5
S
6
O
7
D
8
A
9
P
10
A
11
R
12
M
13
J
14
A
15
R
16
S
17
I
B
E
T
18
C
H
R
I
S
19
T
E
N
D
O
20
M
21
A
M
A
T
22
A
L
W
A
23
Y
S
H
A
S
F
O
L
I
A
G
E
24
P
I
M
A
25
T
A
I
P
E
I
26
P
O
M
E
S
27
U
L
28
Y
A
N
O
V
29
A
Z
T
E
C
30
E
31
V
E
R
32
A
L
L
I
N
O
N
E
33
S
E
T
34
C
35
I
V
I
L
36
V
37
A
N
38
O
P
E
R
A
S
39
O
H
M
A
N
40
A
41
P
I
N
G
42
W
E
S
43
M
44
O
45
C
K
46
H
E
47
N
S
T
A
T
E
48
S
E
49
A
50
E
N
O
L
51
A
52
S
O
W
S
53
E
L
54
M
55
V
S
56
O
57
P
58
T
R
U
A
N
59
T
60
S
61
L
E
D
62
A
63
I
A
64
M
65
I
T
L
L
66
H
I
G
H
S
C
H
67
O
O
L
68
S
69
E
C
R
E
70
T
C
O
D
E
71
O
C
H
O
72
M
O
I
73
L
74
A
C
E
75
E
R
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T
R
E
A
76
D
E
E
M
77
O
L
78
E
79
C
O
L
80
S
81
M
O
I
S
T
82
D
A
83
N
84
85
P
R
86
E
T
T
Y
I
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N
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89
R
A
T
S
90
S
O
B
91
U
M
A
S
S
92
N
O
I
93
S
Y
94
A
95
R
96
M
O
U
R
97
M
A
T
98
R
E
L
E
T
99
W
100
K
101
S
102
C
H
O
O
S
E
103
U
P
104
105
B
O
W
L
106
A
107
G
A
I
N
108
C
O
R
N
E
A
S
109
T
110
I
M
O
N
111
I
N
E
S
S
E
112
E
D
G
E
113
D
E
114
L
A
W
A
R
E
115
N
116
I
C
K
N
A
M
E
117
S
E
A
R
118
S
T
A
Y
I
N
A
L
I
V
E
119
U
B
E
R
120
S
S
N
S
121
O
P
E
N
122
T
Y
P
E
123
S
I
T
S
© 2019, The New York Times2/17/19 ( No. 25,303 )
Across
1
Not rumpled, as a bed : MADE
5
Slice, for example : SODA
9
Veal topper, informally : PARM
13
Cookie containers : JARS
17
"Yeah, right!" : IBET
18
Certain body of believers : CHRISTENDOM
21
Part of a Latin 101 conjugation : AMAT
22
What kind of tree ___? : ALWAYSHASFOLIAGE
24
High-grade cotton : PIMA
25
Capital that was home to the world's tallest building before the Burj Khalifa : TAIPEI
26
Pears and apples : POMES
27
Vladimir Lenin's real last name : ULYANOV
29
Nahuatl speaker : AZTEC
30
Answer to 22-Across [Science & Nature] : EVERGREEN
32
Multipurpose : ALLINONE
33
Fixed : SET
34
Polite : CIVIL
36
Moving vehicle : VAN
38
"Carmen" and "Elektra" : OPERAS
39
"Jeez!" : OHMAN
40
Mimicking : APING
42
Director Anderson : WES
43
Simulated : MOCK
46
Answer to 113-Across [Geography] : BLUEHENSTATE
48
Answer to 13-Down [History] : YELLOWSEA
50
First name on a famous plane : ENOLA
52
Farm females : SOWS
53
Host for a destructive beetle : ELM
55
Abbr. on a label of brandy : VSOP
58
Class skippers : TRUANTS
61
Princess seduced by Zeus : LEDA
63
Cartesian conclusion : IAM
65
Word said before "do" : ITLL
66
What 1986 ___ romantic comedy got its title from a song by the Psychedelic Furs? : HIGHSCHOOL
68
Who wrote a 2003 best seller about a ___? : SECRETCODE
71
Tres + cinco : OCHO
72
"Little ol' me?" : MOI
73
Fine fabric : LACE
75
Asmara is its capital : ERITREA
76
Regard : DEEM
77
World Cup cry : OLE
79
Newspaper units: Abbr. : COLS
81
Clammy : MOIST
82
Answer to 68-Across [Art & Literature] : DANBROWN
85
Answer to 66-Across [Entertainment] : PRETTYINPINK
89
"Phooey!" : RATS
90
Have a bawl : SOB
91
Amherst campus, for short : UMASS
92
Cacophonous : NOISY
94
Knight's wear, in England : ARMOUR
97
Pad : MAT
98
Find a new tenant for : RELET
99
Calendar units: Abbr. : WKS
102
Select, as sides for a game : CHOOSEUP
104
Answer to 39-Down [Sports & Leisure] : ORANGEBOWL
106
"To repeat ..." : AGAIN
108
Lens covers : CORNEAS
109
Meerkat in "The Lion King" : TIMON
111
Living, to Livy : INESSE
112
Nose out : EDGE
113
What ___ comes from a farm bird? : DELAWARENICKNAME
117
Blacken : SEAR
118
Song heard at the start of "Saturday Night Fever" : STAYINALIVE
119
Ride provider : UBER
120
Some I.R.S. data, for short : SSNS
121
Not hush-hush : OPEN
122
Kind : TYPE
123
What a judge does for much of the day : SITS
Down
1
Some roadsters : MIATAS
2
Brightly lit : ABLAZE
3
Clinton who once ran for president : DEWITT
4
Tour de France stage : ETAPE
5
"Pipe down!" : SHH
6
60 minuti : ORA
7
Get rid of : DISPEL
8
"When it comes to ..." : ASFOR
9
Scorer of 12 World Cup goals : PELE
10
Spanish ouzo flavoring : ANIS
11
Nutritional std. : RDA
12
Bump on a slope : MOGUL
13
Where were battleships sunk in an 1894 ___? : JAPANESEVICTORY
14
Key of Beethoven's "Für Elise" : AMINOR
15
Quimby of children's books : RAMONA
16
Lines on sheet music : STAVES
18
CBS debut of 2000 : CSI
19
Comic actor known for his shock humor : TOMGREEN
20
1966 Donovan hit with a rhyming title : MELLOWYELLOW
23
"That tastes bleah!" : YECCH
28
"Holy cow!" : YIPES
30
Cole Porter's "Well, Did You ___?" : EVAH
31
Jungle tangle : VINES
32
Sweet and kind : ANGELIC
35
1962 hit for the Ikettes : IMBLUE
36
Part of an itinerary : VIA
37
Cost to get a hand : ANTE
39
What annual game have the ___ won more than any other team? : OKLAHOMASOONERS
40
Too : ASWELL
41
Condition once called "shell shock," for short : PTSD
43
Process : METHOD
44
How chicken teriyaki is usually served : ONRICE
45
Gave reluctantly, with "up" : COUGHED
47
Court plea, in brief : NOLO
49
Oregon city that was the first permanent U.S. settlement west of the Rockies : ASTORIA
51
A, B, C or D, in multiple choice: Abbr. : ANS
54
Foal's mother : MARE
56
Like Fenway among all major-league ballparks : OLDEST
57
Folds : PLEATS
59
Cinephile's channel : TCM
60
"Buzz off!" : SHOO
62
Natty neckwear : ASCOTS
64
Locale for Jacques Cousteau : MER
67
Crankcase device : OILPUMP
69
Like a moray : EELY
70
Director Burton : TIM
74
Follower of the Gospels : ACTS
78
Wry Bombeck : ERMA
80
Resilience : SINEW
83
"It's a waste of time" : NOUSE
84
Loaves from whole-grain flour : BROWNBREADS
86
Put away, in a way : EAT
87
Longtime Steelers coach Chuck : NOLL
88
Small digit : PINKIE
93
Reeked : STANK
94
Gain entry to : ACCESS
95
Kind of scholar : RHODES
96
Freeman of "Now You See Me" : MORGAN
98
TV Tarzan player : RONELY
99
Hot stuff : WASABI
100
Fate : KISMET
101
Unwelcome looks : SNEERS
103
Be of ___ (aid) : USETO
104
Syracuse player, once : ORANGEMAN
105
Sacha Baron Cohen character : BORAT
107
Original edition of this puzzle's theme : GENUS
109
Actor Diggs : TAYE
110
Words of triumph : IWIN
111
Whack : ICE
114
Length of a pool and back : LAP
115
Partner of tuck : NIP
116
Suffix with elect : IVE

Answer summary:
9 unique to this puzzle, 1 debuted here and reused later, 3 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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