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New York Times, Saturday, April 18, 2026

Author:
Jesse Cohn
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
21-Across : Term in the bedroom, maybe
TotalDebutLatest
55/10/20244/18/2026
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0000032
ScrabDebutFlowFresh
1.512155.680%
Jesse Cohn

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 62, Blocks: 40 Missing: {JQVXZ} This is puzzle # 5 for Mr. Cohn. Grid flow: 57.8 Saturday freshness: 80%
1
S
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P
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I
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N
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O
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F
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F
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B
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H
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D
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M
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F
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F
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W
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D
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W
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D
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U
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G
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H
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G
H
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P
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S
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E
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T
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A
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D
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W
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O
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L
S
© 2026, The New York Times4/18/26 ( No. 27,920 )
Across
1
"The Jeffersons" or "The Simpsons," notably : SPINOFF
8
Team with the mascot Big Al, familiarly : BAMA
12
In time : SOONERORLATER
14
Dish purportedly invented in Los Angeles's Little Tokyo neighborhood : CALIFORNIAROLL
15
New York's ___ Valley : HUDSON
16
Thawing : DETENTE
17
Treat : DOCTOR
18
New outfit or accessory for a character, in video game-speak : MOD
19
Things that shouldn't be hidden : FEES
20
Non-eco-friendly refrigerant : FREON
21
Term in the bedroom, maybe : SAFEWORD
23
Unite : WED
24
Two-pronged : DUAL
26
Metros in the 1990s : GEOS
27
"Wait just a sec" : HANGTIGHT
29
Cowboy's friend, informally : PARD
30
Name that spiked in popularity following a 2013 Disney movie : ELSA
31
Finalized : SET
34
"You've got nothing to worry about" : RESTEASY
36
All-time scoring leader for the Miami Heat, familiarly : DWADE
38
Routine surfaces : MATS
39
Browns, on a scoreboard : CLE
40
Mathematics writer Gardner : MARTIN
41
Words of endorsement : IMFORIT
43
Arrived : MADEIT
44
Make-believe sorrow : CROCODILETEARS
46
Cause of amusement to a vet, maybe : ROOKIEMISTAKE
47
Daredevil's calculation : ODDS
48
Some fairy tale characters : DAMSELS
Down
1
Did business with, in a way : SOLDTO
2
Blowgun projectile : POISONDART
3
Words before "a penny" or "a treat" : INFOR
4
Fifth-most abundant element in the universe : NEON
5
Lieutenant in "Catch-22" : ORR
6
Into : FONDOF
7
Breakfast dish that might go over well? : FRIEDEGGS
8
How people get into a swimming pool, typically : BAREFOOT
9
Yom Kippur observers : ATONERS
10
Like the cheese in fondue : MELTED
11
Backdrop for many van Gogh paintings : ARLES
12
Blitzed : SAUCED
13
___ pull-downs (exercise) : LAT
14
Item in a list on the fridge, maybe : CHORE
17
Texas air hub, for short : DFW
18
Silky-haired toy : MALTESE
21
Start to give : SAG
22
"Hey, no backing out now!" : WEHADADEAL
25
Still waffling : UNDECIDED
27
Relatives of ottomans : HASSOCKS
28
Texter's affectionate sign-off : ILY
29
It's not fit for human consumption : PETFOOD
31
Cutting stuff : SATIRE
32
Cuts a line? : EDITS
33
It takes two hands to show : TEN
34
Musketeer's tool : RAMROD
35
Nissan model : ALTIMA
37
Brings about, as havoc : WREAKS
38
Less than milli-, more than nano- : MICRO
40
Paint option : MATTE
42
Metric for a venture capitalist, in brief : ROI
43
Play (with) : MESS
45
Calc. calculation : LIM

Answer summary:
4 unique to this puzzle, 1 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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