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PLAYING THE HITS

New York Times, Sunday, January 16, 2022

Author:
Derrick Niederman
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Arthur who invented the crossword puzzle (1913)
TotalDebutLatest
155/22/19839/7/2025
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
15000000
RebusCircleDebutPre‑WSFlowFresh
22133433.577%
Derrick Niederman

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 142, Blocks: 74 Missing: {Q} This is puzzle # 12 for Mr. Niederman. Grid flow: 22.1 Sunday freshness: 32%
Will Shortz notes:
Derrick Niederman, of Charleston, S.C., teaches mathematics at the College of Charleston. This is his 12th crossword in The Times, not counting variety puzzles, beginning in 1983 — all ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
[UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES] should you let yourself be Rickrolled today. I had a neat click when I connected THE LADY VANI___ and SHE'S NOT THERE. It's easy enough to see that SHE is ... read more
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© 2022, The New York Times1/16/22 ( No. 26,367 )
Across
1
Symbol of authority, informally : THEMAN
7
Compañero : AMIGO
12
Delhi issue : SMOG
16
Reaction to puppy pics : AWW
19
Water buffalo, for one : BOVINE
20
French ___ (trick-taking game) : TAROT
21
Land of blarney : EIRE
22
Pass during the N.F.L. playoffs : BYE
23
THE LADY VANI_ _ _ _ (#2, 1964) : SHESNOTTHERE
25
Who infamously boasted "They can't collect legal taxes from illegal money" : ALCAPONE
27
Luxurious : POSH
28
Suffix in some pasta names : INI
29
BILLE (#3, 1972) : ILLBEAROUND
31
He gave Starbuck's orders : AHAB
34
NATO members, e.g. : ALLIES
35
Adorable sort : CUTEY
36
x0 (#1, 1985) : THEPOWEROFLOVE
41
Barnyard baby : CALF
42
Keep one's mouth shut? : HUM
43
Porky Pig's girlfriend : PETUNIA
44
It cost 5¢ in 1965 : POSTAGE
47
Home of Iowa State : AMES
49
Help with a crime : ABET
50
Google web browser : CHROME
53
Laser pointer chaser : CAT
54
Like the Balkans in the 1990s : WARTORN
57
Certain peaceful protest : LIEIN
58
Country singer McEntire : REBA
59
Captivate : ENGAGE
60
VAUDEVILLIAN (#2, 1988) : DEVILINSIDE
65
Become more complicated, say : DEEPEN
66
Getting together : UNITING
67
Sheen : LUSTER
71
LOST, E.G. (#1, 1984) : LETSGOCRAZY
73
Glacier-scaling tool : ICEAXE
74
Yard tool : RAKE
77
Private student : TUTEE
78
Figure it out : CATCHON
79
___ Lilly (pharmaceutical giant) : ELI
80
"Jeez!" : CRIPES
82
Actress Garr : TERI
85
Beach shaper : TIDE
86
Only player to win the U.S. Chess Championship with no losses or draws : FISCHER
88
Darling : SWEETIE
91
Harbor helper : TUG
92
___ story (tale of a car company's bankruptcy?) : SAAB
93
CHAN_E _PPEA_ANCE TO CONCEA_ _ _D MISLEA_ (#1, 1968) : JUDYINDISGUISE
97
Islamic spirit : DJINN
99
Brand of insecticide strips : NOPEST
100
Madhouses : ZOOS
101
TITTLE-TATTLE (#16, 2011) : RUMOURHASIT
103
Opposite of post- : PRE
105
Airline posting : FARE
109
Furnace for calcium oxide production : LIMEKILN
110
ENTICEMENT (#1, 1983) : COMEONEILEEN
114
Big club in Las Vegas? : ACE
115
The final word : AMEN
116
Give a lift : ELATE
117
Know-it-all : SMARTY
118
"___ Como Va" (Santana hit) : OYE
119
Female Olympian of note : HERA
120
Palindromic battlers : SEXES
121
Place of worship whose third, fourth and fifth letters are appropriate : PAGODA
Down
1
One of eight in a stick of butter: Abbr. : TBSP
2
Jolly laugh : HOHO
3
Dec. 24 and 31, e.g. : EVES
4
Minor accident : MISHAP
5
Mary ___ Evans a.k.a. George Eliot : ANN
6
Opposite of paleo- : NEO
7
Memo abbr. : ATTN
8
When doubled, Hawaiian food fish : MAHI
9
Pique : IRE
10
Terk in Disney's "Tarzan," e.g. : GORILLA
11
Opera with the aria "Ave Maria" : OTELLO
12
Naval engineer : SEABEE
13
Air traveler's accumulation : MILES
14
Quint's boat in "Jaws" : ORCA
15
Enclosure for a bike chain and sprockets : GEARCASE
16
180 : ABOUTFACE
17
Arthur who invented the crossword puzzle (1913) : WYNNE
18
Overgrown, say : WEEDY
24
Kind of terrier : TIBETAN
26
Young chicken, e.g. : POULT
30
Actress Tyler : LIV
32
Move barefoot across a scorchingly hot beach, maybe : HOP
33
Shock's partner : AWE
34
Throw ___ (rant and rave) : AFIT
36
No longer frozen : THAWED
37
Kind : HUMANE
38
Crop up : EMERGE
39
Chafe : RUB
40
Out of gas, informally : ONE
41
Internet ending that's also an ending for inter- : COM
44
Part of the brainstem : PONS
45
Chatter : GAB
46
Greek letter that might follow "z" : ETA
48
Affix, in a way : STAPLE
50
Eyelashes : CILIA
51
Ketchup brand : HEINZ
52
"One ___-dingy" (Ernestine the operator's catchphrase on "Laugh-In") : RINGY
55
Arch type : OGEE
56
Landlord's due : RENT
57
Petrol unit : LITRE
58
Surgically remove : RESECT
60
Unearthed : DUGUP
61
Mi, in a C major scale : ENOTE
62
Number twos : VICES
63
Pelvic bones : ILIA
64
Air carrier : DUCT
68
Island where Paul Gauguin painted : TAHITI
69
Book that's the source of the phrase "a land flowing with milk and honey" : EXODUS
70
Go back (on) : RENEGE
72
Instruction in an oatmeal recipe : STIR
74
"Zebra" : REF
75
Slugger from Louisville : ALI
76
Florida city whose name has three pairs of doubled letters : KISSIMMEE
78
Upscale watch brand : CITIZEN
80
Annual eight-day celebration : CHANUKAH
81
Basketball stat: Abbr. : REB
82
Numbskull : TWIT
83
Poetic dusk : EEN
84
Color of traffic on a GPS : RED
87
Craft carried over a portage : CANOE
88
Rhythmic part of a heartbeat : SYSTOLE
89
Same: Prefix : ISO
90
Sense of self : EGO
93
Protagonist in "The Stepford Wives" : JOANNA
94
FedEx competitor : UPS
95
Clears for takeoff? : DEICES
96
Old Glory : USFLAG
97
1964 Tony Randall title role : DRLAO
98
Like oranges and some gossip : JUICY
99
Duck or Penguin : NHLER
102
Frost : RIME
103
Davidson of "S.N.L." : PETE
104
Richard and Jane in court : ROES
106
Commercial prefix with postale : AERO
107
Out of office?: Abbr. : RETD
108
One-named Irish hitmaker : ENYA
111
Tops : MAX
112
Madrid's country, in the Olympics : ESP
113
Song lead-in to "Believer," "Loser" or "Survivor" : IMA

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

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