This web browser is not supported. Use Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Firefox for best results.

Rise to the Challenge

New York Times, Sunday, October 9, 2022

Author:
Jessie Trudeau and Ross Trudeau
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
76-Across : Celebrity gossip show with an exclamation point in its title
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
512/14/202010/9/20225
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
2111000
ScrabDebutFresh
1.563040%
Jessie Trudeau
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
542/9/201712/6/202221
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1062012600
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
381.6231448%
Ross Trudeau

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 133, Blocks: 84 Missing: {QXZ} Spans: 1 Scrabble average: 1.71 This is puzzle # 5 for Ms. Trudeau. This is puzzle # 53 for Mr. Trudeau. Jeff Chen's Puzzle of the Week pick. Sunday freshness: 28%
Will Shortz notes:
Jessie Trudeau, of Cambridge, Mass., recently graduated with a Ph.D. from Harvard's Department of Government. Next fall she'll start as an assistant professor of political science at ... read more
Constructor notes:
JESSIE: Ross has a long history of rocking my socks with grids that creatively deploy letters-as-pictures. He pitched me on this (ahem) word ladder in the summer of 2000, and when we found ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
This one climbs my ranks as one of the most memorable Sundays in years. I fondly remember my bafflement-flipping-to-delight moment when uncovering a column of Is that acted as the web for ... read more
Jim Horne notes:
Super fun puzzle! Jeff gave you a link to find words with at least 4 I's in a row, but what if you want at least 4 of any letter? I'm afraid we're going to talk RegEx again. Nah, ... read more
1
I
2
N
3
A
4
C
5
O
6
M
7
A
8
H
9
S
10
W
11
E
12
E
13
P
14
S
15
C
16
O
17
T
18
M
I
L
I
T
I
A
19
I
20
N
H
O
R
R
O
R
21
H
A
R
T
22
S
H
A
R
O
N
A
23
M
A
H
A
Y
A
N
A
24
R
U
D
Y
25
C
H
I
M
26
N
E
Y
H
27
D
28
I
E
S
E
L
29
T
30
A
31
T
A
32
B
E
A
T
H
34
C
35
O
36
M
37
M
A
N
D
E
R
38
U
V
A
39
C
A
M
P
40
H
O
N
D
A
41
U
S
A
42
B
E
L
43
A
R
B
O
44
R
H
P
I
C
K
46
E
R
47
S
48
F
49
O
50
A
R
M
51
O
R
52
E
L
I
53
S
H
A
54
E
G
E
55
S
T
E
D
56
S
U
B
M
57
A
R
I
N
E
H
58
C
59
A
M
O
60
P
I
L
E
61
E
D
S
E
L
62
G
A
H
63
O
V
A
64
A
R
T
S
65
C
L
I
66
M
67
B
S
T
H
68
E
L
A
D
69
D
70
E
R
71
D
72
I
73
E
U
74
A
R
I
75
H
U
B
76
E
N
E
77
W
78
S
79
U
S
S
R
80
D
C
O
N
H
R
E
82
P
83
A
I
R
M
A
N
84
N
I
C
E
85
J
O
B
86
C
H
O
R
A
L
87
A
E
S
O
88
P
89
E
T
A
90
C
H
E
91
R
92
R
Y
H
93
T
U
L
94
I
P
95
A
W
E
96
P
97
E
R
98
T
O
O
T
H
99
L
I
L
T
100
B
I
C
101
T
E
L
E
102
P
H
O
N
E
H
103
O
V
A
L
104
O
I
N
K
105
S
C
R
A
W
L
H
107
P
A
I
N
T
108
E
R
109
P
E
O
N
110
U
111
L
112
T
113
R
114
A
H
O
T
115
C
E
N
T
116
I
117
M
118
E
119
C
L
O
D
120
S
E
A
R
C
H
E
S
121
E
L
B
O
W
E
D
122
A
L
M
S
123
H
O
U
S
E
H
124
S
L
Y
N
O
D
S
© 2022, The New York Times10/9/22 ( No. 26,633 )
Across
1
Like the protagonist at the start of "28 Days Later" : INACOMA
14
Lady Macduff, e.g. : SCOT
18
Group of fighters : MILITIA
19
One way to recoil : INHORROR
21
Male deer : HART
22
"My ___" (#1 hit for the Knack) : SHARONA
23
One of the two main branches of Buddhism : MAHAYANA
24
N.B.A. All-Star Gobert : RUDY
25
*Worker with a brush [three rungs] : CHIMNEYSWEEP
27
Fuel option : DIESEL
29
"Ciao!" : TATA
32
Completely pooped : BEAT
38
A.C.C. school : UVA
39
Place with counselors : CAMP
40
Maker of Pilots and Passports : HONDA
41
Team ___ : USA
42
"___ Canto" (2001 Ann Patchett novel) : BEL
43
Structure resembling a pergola : ARBOR
47
Airport with a BART station : SFO
50
Mail, e.g. : ARMOR
52
Otis who founded the Otis Elevator Company : ELISHA
54
Expelled from the body : EGESTED
56
*Captain with a periscope [four rungs] : SUBMARINECOMMANDER
58
Some military wear, informally : CAMO
60
Carpet specification : PILE
61
Former make of Ford : EDSEL
62
[I'm frustrated!] : GAH
63
Lab eggs : OVA
64
Animation and sculpting, for two : ARTS
65
Advances through corporate ranks … and what the answer to each starred clue in this puzzle does : CLIMBSTHELADDER
71
"Mon ___!" : DIEU
74
Singer Grande, to fans : ARI
75
Center : HUB
76
Celebrity gossip show with an exclamation point in its title : ENEWS
79
Map inits. until 1991 : USSR
80
Pest control brand : DCON
84
"Really good work!" : NICEJOB
86
Sung by a group : CHORAL
87
Writer known for his anthropomorphic animal characters : AESOP
89
"When r u coming?" : ETA
90
*Seasonal orchard worker [eight rungs] : CHERRYPICKER
93
Staple of Dutch Golden Age art : TULIP
95
Feeling while watching a volcanic eruption, perhaps : AWE
96
According to : PER
98
Narwhal's tusk : TOOTH
99
Pleasant speech cadence : LILT
100
Pen that aptly rhymes with "click" : BIC
101
*Worker for AT&T or Verizon [four rungs] : TELEPHONEREPAIRMAN
103
Common wall mirror shape : OVAL
104
Sound on Old MacDonald's farm : OINK
105
Chicken scratch : SCRAWL
109
Worker who probably isn't paid enough : PEON
110
Really, really spicy : ULTRAHOT
115
1/100 of a franc : CENTIME
119
Dirt clump : CLOD
120
Googles, e.g. : SEARCHES
121
Like people in crowds, whether intentionally or not : ELBOWED
122
Donations for the needy : ALMS
123
*One putting a coat on outside [three rungs] : HOUSEPAINTER
124
Surreptitious assents : SLYNODS
Down
1
Communications on Slack, e.g. : IMS
2
Org. funding Covid-19 research : NIH
3
In the manner of : ALA
4
Roughly : CIRCA
5
"Then again ...," in a tweet : OTOH
6
Upscale hotel room fixture : MINIBAR
7
One calling for a tow, maybe : AAAMEMBER
8
Visual depiction of the apparatus used by the starred professionals : HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
9
"___ wise guy, eh?" : SOA
10
Like some humor : WRY
11
Important stretch : ERA
12
Stretch longer than an 11-Down : EON
13
Mario who founded a fashion empire : PRADA
14
Snowboards well, informally : SHREDS
15
Rabble-rouse : CAUSEASTIR
16
Something taken by a waiter : ORDER
17
"Cya!" : TTYL
19
"How ___ Your Mother" : IMET
20
Con's vote : NAY
26
Mafia : Sicilia :: Camorra : ___ : NAPOLI
28
Harden : INURE
29
Latin for "trumpet" : TUBA
30
Disinclined : AVERSE
31
Temple text : TALMUD
34
Beach in Rio de Janeiro, informally : COPA
35
"From now ___ won't be hanging around" (bluegrass lyric) : ONI
36
1600, in ancient Rome : MDC
37
Tick off : MAKEMAD
39
___-by-the-Sea, Calif. : CARMEL
44
Welcomes, as the new year : RINGSIN
46
Narcissist's treasure : EGO
48
Perceived : FELT
49
Output from Sappho : ODES
51
Cloud : OBSCURE
53
Adjustable bike part : SEAT
55
"I don't wanna hear it" : SPAREME
57
Boxer Laila : ALI
58
Stephen who said "Think books aren't scary? Well, think about this: You can't spell 'Book' without 'Boo!'" : COLBERT
59
Director DuVernay : AVA
66
Play title that superstitious actors avoid saying aloud in theaters : MACBETH
67
Certain sib : BRO
68
Currency to which the Maltese scudo is pegged : EURO
69
Opus ___ : DEI
70
Hypnotized, say : ENRAPT
71
Sci-fi novel made into films in 1984 and 2021 : DUNE
72
Skeptical reply to "That's true" : ISIT
73
Activity one tries to get out of? : ESCAPEROOM
77
Sushi condiment : WASABI
78
Strand, perhaps : SNOWIN
80
"Silly me!" : DOH
82
Pope of 1963-78 : PAULVI
83
Government bonds? : ALLIANCES
85
Preppy clothing brand : JCREW
86
Ending with leuko- or oo- : CYTE
88
Quick kiss : PECK
91
One with a marsupium, affectionately : ROO
92
Bacardi, e.g., in México : RON
94
Threat from a squealer : ILLTELL
97
Antelopes with twisty horns : ELANDS
101
Immune system agent : TCELL
102
Like luxurious pillows : PLUSH
103
Breakfast that may be prepared overnight : OATS
104
Former N.F.L. QB Kyle : ORTON
105
Pet rescue org. : SPCA
107
"The Black Cat" author : POE
108
Genderqueer identity : ENBY
111
Soccer star Messi, familiarly : LEO
112
Delta ___ Chi, house in "Animal House" : TAU
113
B&O and Reading: Abbr. : RRS
114
Either half of pocket rockets, in poker slang : ACE
116
___ Jima : IWO
117
Rx from a doc, e.g. : MED
118
Newsroom heads, for short : EDS

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

Found bugs or have suggestions? Please let us know.

Like this puzzle? Please share this page on social media to help spread the word about XWord Info. Thanks!

XWord Info Home
XWord Info © 2007-2024, Jim Horne
326 ms