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Who's In Charge Here?

New York Times, Sunday, February 8, 2026

Author:
Chloe Revery
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Margaret Atwood novel with a love triangle involving a paleontologist
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
511/28/20222/8/20262
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1211000
CircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
21.522232.330%
Chloe Revery

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 72 Missing: {JQXZ} Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 5 for Ms. Revery. Grid flow: 39.4 Sunday freshness: 29%
Will Shortz notes:
Chloe Revery is a software engineer from Los Angeles. Years ago, she dropped in on a dinner for crossword constructors, even though she'd never made a puzzle herself. She found the ... read more
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© 2026, The New York Times2/8/26 ( No. 27,851 )
Across
1
Crafty sort : ARTISAN
8
Vegetables that should typically be sliced lengthwise before washing : LEEKS
13
Cowboy on the pampas : GAUCHO
19
"Ecstasy of Saint Teresa" sculptor : BERNINI
20
Supplement : ENRICH
22
Get in on the game : ANTEUP
23
Scrunchie, e.g. : ELASTICHAIRTIE
25
"Oh, cruel fate!" : POORME
26
Autocorrect target : TYPO
27
Classification : KIND
28
Sports franchises, e.g. : TEAMS
30
Fine-grained wood in some woodwind instruments : PEAR
31
Social norms : MORES
34
Wizard of ___ Park (Thomas Edison nickname) : MENLO
35
Disney heroine based on New Orleans chef Leah Chase : TIANA
36
USA, e.g. : CHANNEL
39
Title for William beginning in 2022 : PRINCEOFWALES
42
Hawk homes : AERIES
43
In view : SEEN
44
Money in rock 'n' roll : EDDIE
45
Nonprofit group behind Smokey Bear and McGruff the Crime Dog : THEADCOUNCIL
48
Patron of sailors : STELMO
52
Work with a needle : SEW
53
Position in basketball : GUARD
54
___ Kippur : YOM
57
Looks through someone's phone, say : SNOOPS
59
Pointers for a fencer? : EPEES
61
Slacken : EASEUP
64
[Bo-o-oring!] : SNORE
65
Pop, to a tot : DADA
67
Explicit command : DIRECTORDER
71
One-named singer with four Grammys : ENYA
72
Relative of a heron : STORK
74
Sirenlike : SHRILL
75
What a sad person might break into : TEARS
77
1987 Dreyfuss/DeVito comedy : TINMEN
79
"!!!" : OMG
80
Philosopher Kierkegaard : SOREN
82
Dig up dirt? : HOE
85
It typically has a string attached : TEABAG
87
Bright shade similar to magenta : SHOCKINGPINK
91
"Things Fall ___" (Chinua Achebe novel) : APART
94
"Oh, cruel fate!" : ALAS
95
Canadian coin featuring a polar bear, informally : TOONIE
96
Margaret Atwood novel with a love triangle involving a paleontologist : LIFEBEFOREMAN
101
Weasel relatives : FERRETS
102
A water molecule contains three of these : ATOMS
103
Vexillologist's subject : FLAGS
104
Stone measure : CARAT
105
Explorer with her monkey friend Boots : DORA
106
Bud of baseball : SELIG
107
What Excedrin relieves : PAIN
109
Strawberry ___ Refresher (Starbucks drink) : ACAI
113
Stir up : INCITE
115
Hit reality TV series suggested by this puzzle's groups of circled letters : UNDERCOVERBOSS
119
Place for a shoelace : EYELET
120
Manning with two Super Bowl rings : PEYTON
121
"You can count on me!" : IMALLIN
122
Talks back to : SASSES
123
Witherspoon of "Legally Blonde" : REESE
124
Patronized, as a restaurant : DINEDAT
Down
1
Words on either side of "___ is ___" : ABET
2
Bank (on) : RELY
3
Sting operation : TRAP
4
Trouble with Z's? : INSOMNIA
5
Take a load off : SIT
6
Singer DiFranco who created Righteous Babe Records : ANI
7
Small change : NICKEL
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Tilt : LEAN
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Werewolf on TV's "Wednesday" : ENID
10
Slip up : ERR
11
Wee mewer : KITTEN
12
Prestigious academic journal since 1880 : SCIENCE
13
Résumé problems, at times : GAPS
14
365 días : ANO
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More ideal? : UTOPIA
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Trix or Kix : CEREAL
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___ society : HUMANE
18
Performances at Paris's Palais Garnier : OPERAS
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Well again : HEALED
24
Quick hellos : HIS
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Vibes : MOODS
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Jumpy : ONEDGE
33
What many a shelter animal hopes to be : RESCUED
34
BMW offering since 2000 : MINI
35
Many boy band fans : TWEENS
36
2019 film that one reviewer called "purr-fectly dreadful" : CATS
37
Villainous chortle : HEHE
38
"Can I go now?" : AREWEDONE
39
Await settlement, as a payment : PEND
40
Partner of Parks, informally : REC
41
Goes well with : FITS
43
California's Big ___ : SUR
46
Band with the 1995 hit "Wonderwall" : OASIS
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Clorox competitor : LYSOL
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Individualist : LONER
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Drink from a tub? : MOONSHINE
51
Concert broadcast that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2025, with "the" : OPRY
55
The Who's "Love, Reign ___ Me" : OER
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Makeup of some face masks : MUD
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Vast amount : SEA
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Italian city known for its cheese : PARMA
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Vapes : ECIGS
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Georgia airport, for short : ATL
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___ dish : PETRI
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Annual reason for lost sleep: Abbr. : DST
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Fighting : ATIT
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Pi follower : RHO
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"Uhh ...," to Brits : ERM
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Come back in : REENTER
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Alternatives to gyro platters : KEBABS
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Variety of rabbit or goat : ANGORA
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What a tall collar covers : NAPE
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Read quickly : SCAN
81
Gives the green light : OKS
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"I've got this" : ONIT
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Barely scrapes (by) : EKES
86
Social blunder : GAFFE
88
Amateur radio devotees : HAMS
89
Greeting in Brazil : OLA
90
Easily moved : PORTABLE
92
Arrive by car : ROLLUP
93
Gym staff member : TRAINER
96
Set of nine dancing in "The 12 Days of Christmas" : LADIES
97
2017 figure skating biopic : ITONYA
98
Compels : FORCES
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Things that typically build up during vacation : EMAILS
100
Easter purchase : EGGDYE
101
Social media tribute to a celeb, say : FANVID
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Tech company exec : CIO
106
Hollywood workplaces : SETS
107
Major-leaguers : PROS
108
Something hard to face? : ACNE
110
Small bug? : COLD
111
___ Minor : ASIA
112
Stevie Wonder's "___ She Lovely" : ISNT
114
Vex, with "off" : TEE
116
Summer on the Riviera : ETE
117
Onetime parent co. of Virgin Records : EMI
118
Led : RAN

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

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