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Aural Surgery

New York Times, Sunday, July 23, 2023

Author:
Chandi Deitmer
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
86-Down : Holy text divided into suras
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
97/25/20218/10/20257
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
7001001
RebusCircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
211.538134.569%
Chandi Deitmer

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 20 Words: 137, Blocks: 80 Missing: {JXZ} Spans: 1 This is puzzle # 4 for Ms. Deitmer. Jeff Chen's Puzzle of the Week pick. Grid flow: 10.7 Sunday freshness: 51%
Will Shortz notes:
Chandi Deitmer, of Cambridge, Mass., is an editor for Elevate Labs, a brain-training app. Her crosswords have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The New Yorker, The ... read more
Chandi Deitmer notes:
Happy to be Sunday-ing today! I truly love being able to stretch out in a Sunday — gotta stay juicy, or at least try. This was one of those themes where you look at a phrase for a ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
I've brainstormed so many concepts around various barriers, including the SOUND BARRIER — Chandi's is a WITT! (Wish I'd Thought of That.) She takes commonplace phrases and breaks ... read more
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© 2023, The New York Times7/23/23 ( No. 26,920 )
Across
1
Org. for Sandra Bullock in "Miss Congeniality" : FBI
4
Shawarma wraps : PITAS
9
Tear things : DUCTS
14
Sorry : SAD
17
Dress (up), quaintly : TOG
18
Dress up : ADORN
19
___ nous : ENTRE
20
Bring up to ___ : CODE
21
Nocturnal bird known for its distinct calls, informally : WHO
22
– : TOWEL
23
How things might go on the internet : VIRAL
24
Fit : HALE
25
___ Moshfegh, author of the 2015 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award-winning novel "Eileen" : OTTESSA
27
Collections of bets : POOLS
28
Response to a repeat introduction : WEMET
29
Respond to : ACTON
30
Some outdoor seats : LAUNCH
31
– : HEIRS
32
14,000-foot volcano in California : SHASTA
34
Hallmarks of Scottish accents : BURRS
35
Long walk : TREK
37
Secret lairs : HIGH
38
– : DOUBTS
40
Grammy winner Hill : LAURYN
42
Green beginning : ECO
43
Lifted, as spirits : BUOYED
44
Swelling : BULGE
45
Sch. with the mascot Sparky the Sun Devil : ASU
48
Zakat, in Islam : ALMS
49
Equivalent of one gallon : FORK
50
– : WARTS
52
Some roofing material : TAR
55
Part of a day care schedule : NAP
56
From India or Pakistan : DESI
57
Wee, in one spelling : TEENIE
58
Hit Mach I … or a hint to answering eight pairs of consecutive entries in this puzzle : BREAKTHESOUNDBARRIER
63
Run for it! : OFFICE
64
Beneficent : KIND
65
Denomination of Boston's historic Charles Street Church: Abbr. : AME
66
Real so-and-so : ASS
67
"Anything you want!" : NEIGH
68
– : MITT
69
Nibble (on) : GNAW
70
Substance banned for agricultural use in 1972, for short : DDT
71
Style that flares out from the waist : ALINE
73
One crying "Help!"? : BEATLE
75
Big money exec : CFO
78
Growing season : SPRING
80
Former magazine that featured male nudes : PLAGUE
81
– : EARL
82
Up there, so to speak : AGED
83
Princess of Power, in the comics : SHERA
84
Let live : SPARED
86
2 vis-à-vis 8, 3 vis-à-vis 27, etc. : QUEUE
89
– : BRUTES
91
Lauder of cosmetics : ESTEE
92
Amherst sch. : UMASS
93
Tied up : LACED
94
Fade hairstyle sported by Grace Jones : FLATTOP
97
Stack up : RATE
98
Skin marks : POCKS
99
Lollygagger : SLOPE
100
– : OAK
102
Among : AMID
103
Lingered (on) : DWELT
104
Hit one out of the park : HOMER
105
Member org. of the Five Eyes alliance : NSA
106
Something picked in an argument : NIT
107
Habitat for vicuñas : ANDES
108
Some essays : OPEDS
109
Couturier who created Le Smoking tuxedo, for short : YSL
Down
1
"Victory!," in internet shorthand : FTW
2
Clothing style with hippie influences : BOHOCHIC
3
"Look at the time!" : IGOTTAGO
4
Easily recognizable : PATENT
5
Responses prompted by an officiant : IDOS
6
Tugboat jobs : TOWS
7
Side by side, maybe? : AREA
8
Show shot in Studio 8H, for short : SNL
9
Gobbles up : DEVOURS
10
Marriages : UNIONS
11
Copy command on a keyboard : CTRLC
12
Offensive line in football, say? : TRASHTALK
13
Fleur de ___ (seasoning) : SEL
14
"Same here" : SOAMI
15
Irene ___ ("the Woman," to Sherlock Holmes) : ADLER
16
411 : DEETS
20
Fresh : CHEEKY
26
Nonsense, to Brits : TOSH
27
Medicare section that covers prescription drugs : PARTD
28
Comment when trying to get a discussion back on track : WHEREWEREWE
29
U.S. Davis Cup player for 10 years : ASHE
30
Slippery stuff : LUBE
33
Heap praise on : ADULATE
34
Believes, so to speak : BUYS
36
Something to pray on : RUG
39
Pep : OOMPH
40
Like many true-crime dramas : LURID
41
Aslan's world : NARNIA
43
Overdraft fees, e.g. : BANKCHARGES
44
Cap'n's subordinate : BOSN
46
Fenced-in patches of mud : STIES
47
___ guide : USERS
49
Reality show fodder : FEUD
51
___ Lingus : AER
52
Long-term security option, in brief : TBOND
53
Responded to "Speak!" : ARFED
54
Modernizes the equipment of : REFITS
56
"___ forget …" : DONT
57
Steamed food items eaten with the hands : TAMALES
59
Recipient of a 2008 govt. bailout : AIG
60
Scraping (by) : EKING
61
Browser destination : SITE
62
Language group of sub-Saharan Africa : BANTU
68
"That's ... so ... crazy!" : MINDBLOWN
69
Agog : GAGA
72
Many do this on the beach : LIE
73
What an errant red sock may do in a load of whites : BLEED
74
All ___ : EARS
75
Humorously exaggerated : CARTOONY
76
Exemption from consequences : FREEPASS
77
Shoppe descriptor : OLDE
79
Took a breather : PAUSED
80
Things revealing basic truths? : PHTESTS
81
Like Zambia relative to Angola : EAST
83
Feed, as a pup might : SUCKLE
85
Fades (out) : PETERS
86
Holy text divided into suras : QURAN
87
Savory quality : UMAMI
88
Suffer an embarrassing loss : EATIT
90
Sped : RACED
94
Something that closes quickly : FLOP
95
Capital of Togo : LOME
96
Parroted : APED
98
Sidewalk snogging, e.g., for short : PDA
99
"Dexter" channel, familiarly : SHO
101
___ Penn, actor who held a post in the Obama White House : KAL

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

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