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New York Times, Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Author:
John Ruff
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Instrument with a Renaissance-era ancestor called a sackbut
TotalDebut
15/12/2026
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0010000
CircleScrabFlowFresh
11.6526.213%
John Ruff

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 76, Blocks: 39 Missing: {QZ} Spans: 2 This is the debut puzzle for Mr. Ruff. Grid flow: 26.2 Tuesday freshness: 25%
Jim Horne notes:

The circled O, U, and R in 58-Across not only repeat the British (and Canadian!) OUR pattern, but when you sound it out, you get Oh, You Are! Nicely done.

1
S
2
T
3
A
4
R
5
T
6
F
7
E
8
E
9
L
10
E
11
W
12
E
13
S
14
O
I
L
E
R
15
O
G
L
E
16
V
E
S
T
17
F
L
A
V
O
18
U
R
O
F
T
19
H
E
D
A
Y
20
A
L
S
21
M
R
S
22
E
N
S
U
E
23
A
B
D
U
24
C
25
T
26
O
R
S
27
C
28
O
L
O
U
R
I
N
G
B
O
29
O
30
K
31
S
32
J
A
M
I
N
33
E
S
T
E
34
P
E
A
35
O
R
A
T
E
36
D
37
E
38
L
39
I
T
E
S
40
I
N
N
41
E
42
R
43
S
44
T
45
O
P
E
N
S
46
N
E
I
47
G
48
H
B
O
U
R
49
H
O
O
D
S
50
O
U
T
B
R
E
A
K
S
51
D
52
W
53
E
L
L
54
M
I
L
55
F
56
A
57
T
58
O
H
Y
O
U
59
A
60
R
61
E
B
R
I
62
T
I
S
H
63
D
E
R
N
64
B
I
L
L
65
K
A
F
K
A
66
O
N
E
G
67
C
O
K
E
68
E
X
I
S
T
© 2026, The New York Times5/12/26 ( No. 27,944 )
Across
1
Appropriate answer for 1-Across : START
6
Have the sense of : FEEL
10
Females shepherded by shepherds : EWES
14
Fuel-bearing ship : OILER
15
Leer at : OGLE
16
One piece of a three-piece suit : VEST
17
Listing at an ice cream shop in Ipswich : FLAVOUROFTHEDAY
20
Lou Gehrig's disease, in brief : ALS
21
"___ Robinson" (Simon & Garfunkel song) : MRS
22
Happen afterward : ENSUE
23
Some limb-moving muscles : ABDUCTORS
27
Kids' items at a day care in Derby : COLOURINGBOOKS
32
Pack tightly : JAMIN
33
Spanish for "this" : ESTE
34
Pod tidbit : PEA
35
Spoke to a convention, say : ORATED
37
Members of the aristocracy : ELITES
40
Establishment that might offer free breakfast : INN
41
Quaint lead-in to while : ERST
45
Leads off : OPENS
46
Areas on a map of Manchester : NEIGHBOURHOODS
50
Sudden, widespread appearances of illness : OUTBREAKS
51
Live (in) : DWELL
54
"Thanks a ___!" (informal appreciation) : MIL
55
Butcher's discard : FAT
58
"Hmm, why use the spellings of 17-, 27- and 46-Across?" : OHYOUAREBRITISH
63
Laura of "Jurassic Park" : DERN
64
A pelican can hold more water in this than in its belly : BILL
65
Franz ___, Prague-born writer of dark fiction : KAFKA
66
Force holding us onto Earth, informally : ONEG
67
Pepsi alternative : COKE
68
Be present : EXIST
Down
1
Divan : SOFA
2
Tens or ones place? : TILL
3
Lead-in to "poor Yorick!" : ALAS
4
Al Sharpton's title, for short : REV
5
Instrument with a Renaissance-era ancestor called a sackbut : TROMBONE
6
"Absolutely!" : FORSURE
7
Sense of self : EGO
8
Hermey is one, in TV's "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" : ELF
9
Do-over at serving : LET
10
"Nevertheless ..." : EVENSO
11
Marries : WEDS
12
One son of Isaac and Rebekah : ESAU
13
Bacterial eye malady : STYE
18
Pakistani language : URDU
19
Chervil or chive : HERB
23
Touched down : ALIT
24
Stool pigeons, in police shorthand : CIS
25
Explosive inits. : TNT
26
Kind of arch in architecture : OGEE
27
___ asada : CARNE
28
Resident of a Mideast sultanate : OMANI
29
Chose, with "for" : OPTED
30
Wails : KEENS
31
Give some lip to : SASS
32
Sign up for : JOIN
36
Some are said to be "swimming" in this : DEBT
38
Resemble : LOOKLIKE
39
Ways to raise capital, in brief : IPOS
42
Lowe on TV : ROB
43
Big ___, West Coast tourist destination : SUR
44
Shake with fear : TREMBLE
47
Sandlot QB's order to a receiver : GOLONG
48
Streaming service owned by Disney : HULU
49
Cause of a shower drain clog, maybe : HAIR
51
Birdbrain : DODO
52
"At what time?" : WHEN
53
Brontë heroine : EYRE
55
Popular female poodle name : FIFI
56
Inquires : ASKS
57
Word after "Copy" or "Fancy" : THAT
59
Airer of "The View" : ABC
60
Site of the world's largest Carnival celebration : RIO
61
Wapiti, by another name : ELK
62
Put a burden on : TAX

Answer summary:
5 unique to this puzzle.

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