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In My Defense ...

New York Times, Sunday, July 21, 2024

Author:
John Ewbank
Editor:
Joel Fagliano
Blog:
110-Across : Humble reply to a compliment
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
812/30/20217/21/20241
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
22001102
CircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
11.593334.132%
John Ewbank

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 138, Blocks: 76 Missing: {JQX} Spans: 1 This is puzzle # 8 for Mr. Ewbank. Grid flow: 27.6 Sunday freshness: 20%
Joel Fagliano notes:
John Ewbank is a scientific writer based in Macclesfield, England. This is the rare example of a puzzle where writing the theme clues took a similar amount of time to making the grid. ... read more
John Ewbank notes:
I had a list of logical fallacies on my phone for a long time, but it took me ages to figure out a way of not making something that wasn't just a boring list. Eventually I had the idea of ... read more
Jim Horne notes:

A delightful theme elevated by cleverly creative clues.

1
L
2
O
3
A
4
D
5
S
6
U
7
P
8
I
9
T
10
I
11
S
12
N
13
T
14
G
15
A
16
B
17
O
18
N
19
I
Z
Z
A
T
S
O
20
D
A
N
U
B
E
21
R
O
T
I
N
I
22
N
O
T
R
U
E
S
23
C
O
T
S
M
A
N
24
U
P
T
O
I
T
25
K
N
E
E
26
R
E
O
27
T
E
E
S
28
B
R
U
N
O
29
S
E
C
30
C
I
R
C
31
U
32
L
A
R
R
E
33
A
S
O
N
I
N
34
G
35
P
H
D
36
O
N
O
37
S
U
M
O
38
E
C
R
U
39
S
40
P
41
R
E
E
42
P
O
43
W
44
P
O
U
45
T
46
M
I
I
47
C
H
E
R
R
48
Y
49
P
50
I
C
K
I
51
N
52
G
53
S
T
I
54
P
E
N
D
55
R
O
A
M
56
A
R
C
57
S
E
E
58
T
I
N
G
E
59
A
T
M
60
S
H
I
E
61
D
62
C
A
R
63
S
64
I
T
E
65
P
O
S
66
T
H
O
C
E
R
67
G
O
P
R
68
O
P
T
E
R
69
H
70
O
71
C
72
R
O
O
K
73
E
O
N
74
Y
H
E
A
R
75
E
K
E
76
S
77
P
78
L
A
T
79
G
A
S
80
M
A
L
81
G
R
A
D
82
T
O
E
P
A
83
D
84
S
85
S
L
I
86
P
87
P
E
R
Y
88
S
L
O
P
E
89
O
P
T
90
T
U
T
91
S
92
N
A
E
93
T
U
N
I
S
94
M
U
S
95
H
96
L
A
P
97
S
98
T
S
99
A
100
M
A
G
101
A
P
P
E
102
A
L
T
O
A
103
U
104
T
H
O
R
105
I
T
Y
106
E
107
T
108
S
109
B
A
L
S
A
110
I
T
R
Y
111
A
N
D
112
S
L
A
T
113
M
O
R
D
O
R
114
L
O
G
I
115
C
116
A
L
F
A
117
L
L
A
C
Y
118
R
O
T
U
N
D
119
E
R
E
N
O
W
120
U
N
E
A
T
E
N
121
S
K
Y
P
E
122
R
I
D
G
E
S
123
N
A
I
V
E
T
E
© 2024, The New York Times7/21/24 ( No. 27,284 )
Across
1
Fills, as a moving van : LOADSUP
8
"Incorrect!" : ITISNT
14
Country on the Gulf of Guinea : GABON
19
"Oh, really?," informally : IZZATSO
20
River through the Black Forest : DANUBE
21
Corkscrew-shaped pasta : ROTINI
22
All crossword fans love this puzzle; anyone who doesn't love this puzzle can't be a *real* crossword fan! : NOTRUESCOTSMAN
24
Capable : UPTOIT
25
"Seat" for a toddler : KNEE
26
Bygone auto inits. : REO
27
Pieces of apparel that might have concert dates printed on them : TEES
28
Mars, a star : BRUNO
29
Flash : SEC
30
Why was this chosen as today's puzzle? Because it's great! What makes it great? I mean, it was chosen for publication! : CIRCULARREASONING
35
Kind of candidate : PHD
36
Plastic ___ Band : ONO
37
Sport with the rank yokozuna ("grand champion") : SUMO
38
Light beige : ECRU
39
Tear : SPREE
42
Comic book sound : POW
44
What "you better not" do, in "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" : POUT
46
Nintendo avatar : MII
47
I sent this crossword to 100 friends, and two of them really liked it! : CHERRYPICKING
53
Fixed sum, for some : STIPEND
55
Make like a nomad : ROAM
56
Story ___ : ARC
57
"What did I say?!" : SEE
58
Hint of color : TINGE
59
Balance provider : ATM
60
Shrank (from) : SHIED
62
16th birthday present, sometimes : CAR
63
Locale : SITE
65
What's more, one of those friends won the lottery right after solving it — coincidence? I think not! : POSTHOCERGOPROPTERHOC
72
Piece worth approximately five pawns : ROOK
73
Many, many years : EON
74
"Capeesh?" : YHEAR
75
Squeeze (out) : EKE
76
Paintball impact sound : SPLAT
79
Beetle juice? : GAS
80
Opposite of bien : MAL
81
___ gift (common spring purchase) : GRAD
82
Lizard's grippers : TOEPADS
85
If you criticize this puzzle, where will it end? Before long, you'll be criticizing your mother's cooking! : SLIPPERYSLOPE
89
Make a choice : OPT
90
Expresses disapproval, in a way : TUTS
92
Aberdeen denial : NAE
93
World capital or the name of its gulf : TUNIS
94
Sled dog command : MUSH
96
Punishment for goofing off in practice, perhaps : LAPS
98
Org. whose website has a "What Can I Bring?" section : TSA
100
Certain publication, in brief : MAG
101
Besides, The New York Times said it was good! : APPEALTOAUTHORITY
106
Trisolarans in "The Three-Body Problem," e.g., for short : ETS
109
Model material : BALSA
110
Humble reply to a compliment : ITRY
111
"Go on ..." : AND
112
Blind piece : SLAT
113
Home of Mount Doom in "The Lord of the Rings" : MORDOR
114
Part of a flawed argument, examples of which are seen throughout this puzzle : LOGICALFALLACY
118
Corpulent : ROTUND
119
Previously, poetically : ERENOW
120
Not touched, in a way : UNEATEN
121
Zoom alternative : SKYPE
122
What fingerprints and mountains have : RIDGES
123
Credulous quality : NAIVETE
Down
1
Hot ___ (breakfast side) : LINKS
2
Global protection : OZONE
3
Onetime pyramid builder : AZTEC
4
Go out on a limb : DARE
5
Bassist Cook of Creedence Clearwater Revival : STU
6
Email address, often : USERID
7
Wannabe : POSER
8
Bachelor's last words : IDO
9
Part of a sleeve, in brief : TAT
10
Commercial lead-in to cart : INSTA
11
Region of ancient Mesopotamia : SUMER
12
Pro hoopsters : NBAERS
13
React to a sensitive subject, say : TENSEUP
14
Camera that comes with a head strap : GOPRO
15
Harmonize : ATTUNE
16
Certain cyborgs : BIONICMEN
17
What Homer Simpson gives to Marge as jewelry : ONIONRING
18
Very conservative player, in poker lingo : NIT
21
Erases : RUBSOUT
23
Pixar movie with the song "Un Poco Loco" : COCO
30
Singer with #1 hits in the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s : CHER
31
Insensitive, in a way : UNPC
32
Style : LOOK
33
Old Testament book : AMOS
34
Tourist's aid : GUIDE
35
Treatment whose name suggests its long-lasting effects : PERM
39
Quarrel : SCRAP
40
Snap : PHOTO
41
Stationery stacks : REAMS
43
Where Barbie is originally from, according to her creators : WISCONSIN
45
Giggle : TITTER
48
"Yippee!" : YAHOO
49
Cause to pop, say : PRICK
50
Summer treat : ICEE
51
Semimonthly tide : NEAP
52
Leader of the Pacemakers in 1960s pop : GERRY
54
Fishing spot : PIER
60
Aimed for : SHOTAT
61
Last sips : DREGS
63
Weapon for Achilles : SPEAR
64
Four-time FIFA World Cup winner : ITALY
66
Hunter's construction : TRAP
67
Cry from a hockey commentator : GOAL
68
"Great heavens!" : OHME
69
Night ___ (bird) : HERON
70
Mammal endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo : OKAPI
71
Gives up : CEDES
76
Leaf opening : STOMA
77
Story with many dimensions? : POPUPBOOK
78
"Time to celebrate!" : LETSPARTY
81
Noise at a beer festival : GLUG
83
Slow-witted sort : DULLARD
84
Number in a recap : STAT
86
Way : PATH
87
MXN, on a currency chart : PESO
88
Hotel visit : STAY
91
Plot ruiner : SPOILER
95
Aged well : HELDUP
97
Enlightened state in Zen Buddhism : SATORI
99
Asia's ___ Sea : ARAL
100
13,000+-foot peak in Yosemite : MTDANA
102
All together : ASONE
103
Prodded : URGED
104
Like a dramatic ninth-inning run, perhaps : TYING
105
Just for kicks : INFUN
106
Overjoy : ELATE
107
"Don't play," on a music score : TACET
108
"Funny Girl" composer Jule : STYNE
112
Eastern European : SLAV
113
Title awarded after a match? : MRS
115
Iowa college : COE
116
Sympathetic sounds : AWS
117
Gift tied together with string : LEI

Answer summary:
5 unique to this puzzle, 1 debuted here and reused later.

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