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Written in the Stars

New York Times, Sunday, August 30, 2026

Author:
Daniel Grinberg
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Chilean poet who served as a Communist senator
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
118/28/20198/30/20261
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6111110
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131.7541.856%
Daniel Grinberg

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 78 Missing: {XZ} This is puzzle # 11 for Mr. Grinberg. Grid flow: 24.8 Sunday freshness: 34%
Will Shortz notes:
Daniel Grinberg is a user experience researcher for a consulting company in Philadelphia. He says, "The genesis of this puzzle came to me when I saw Ariana Grande's name, and I thought to ... read more
Jim Horne notes:

It's not quite anagrams, it's letter banks. Each italicized celebrity clue and its celebrity answer use exactly the same set of letters.

1
J
2
A
3
F
4
A
5
R
6
S
7
O
8
L
9
D
10
I
11
B
12
E
13
T
14
N
15
B
16
A
17
A
R
U
B
A
18
K
A
B
O
O
19
M
20
F
R
E
E
21
F
O
R
M
22
H
E
N
R
I
23
M
A
T
I
S
S
E
24
S
A
L
M
I
N
E
O
25
N
A
D
I
Y
A
26
T
E
M
27
U
28
P
R
A
W
N
29
E
30
D
Y
S
31
C
A
N
32
S
33
D
O
N
34
N
35
A
36
S
U
M
M
E
R
37
R
E
G
I
38
N
A
K
I
N
39
G
40
S
T
A
S
E
S
41
E
R
A
42
A
L
I
V
E
43
S
C
A
L
44
P
45
A
V
O
W
46
S
T
R
E
W
47
S
48
G
E
O
49
R
G
E
F
O
50
R
51
E
52
M
53
A
54
N
55
E
S
L
56
P
57
E
58
A
59
E
L
I
60
N
E
R
U
D
A
61
S
62
Q
U
A
R
63
E
64
O
C
65
C
66
A
67
M
68
C
R
I
E
S
69
R
70
E
C
U
R
R
I
N
71
G
C
H
A
R
A
72
C
T
E
R
S
73
F
O
L
I
E
74
P
A
T
I
O
75
W
E
G
O
O
D
76
I
L
L
F
E
77
D
78
G
A
79
S
80
S
I
M
81
C
82
V
83
S
84
E
L
A
I
N
E
85
S
86
T
87
R
I
T
C
88
H
89
P
90
E
91
O
R
I
A
92
M
O
U
E
93
S
A
A
94
B
95
S
96
P
H
O
N
Y
97
W
98
A
99
R
100
S
O
L
D
E
101
R
102
B
R
I
E
103
L
A
R
S
O
N
104
E
V
E
105
L
K
N
I
E
V
E
106
L
107
D
E
C
O
108
E
S
S
O
109
E
I
E
I
O
110
E
D
I
111
E
112
N
E
C
113
T
A
R
114
B
A
B
E
R
115
U
116
T
117
H
118
O
R
L
119
A
N
D
O
B
L
O
120
O
121
M
122
I
N
O
N
T
I
M
E
123
S
A
M
M
I
E
124
A
L
A
N
A
125
T
S
K
126
S
E
C
S
127
S
O
Y
A
128
R
Y
D
E
R
© 2026, The New York Times8/30/26 ( No. 28,054 )
Across
1
"Aladdin" villain : JAFAR
6
"It's yours!" : SOLD
10
Sarcastic "Sure" : IBET
14
Heat setting, in brief? : NBA
17
Dutch Caribbean isle : ARUBA
18
Explosive sound : KABOOM
20
Lacking constraints : FREEFORM
22
MARTIN SHEEN : HENRIMATISSE
24
LIAM NEESON : SALMINEO
25
Chef Hussain of "The Great British Bake Off" fame : NADIYA
26
Discount Chinese e-tailer : TEMU
28
Jumbo shrimp : PRAWN
29
Ben & Jerry's alternative : EDYS
31
Pink-slips : CANS
33
NORMAN REEDUS : DONNASUMMER
37
GREG KINNEAR : REGINAKING
40
Conditions of equilibrium : STASES
41
Historian's division : ERA
42
Undying? : ALIVE
43
Offer illegally, as tickets : SCALP
45
Publicly proclaim : AVOW
46
Scatters messily : STREWS
48
MORGAN FREEMAN : GEORGEFOREMAN
55
Class for some recent arrivals, for short : ESL
56
Kind of green : PEA
59
Chemist Lilly : ELI
60
Chilean poet who served as a Communist senator : NERUDA
61
Four to two, e.g. : SQUARE
64
Friar with a famous "razor" : OCCAM
68
Turns on the waterworks : CRIES
69
Ones making periodic appearances ... or the link between the capitalized clues and their answers : RECURRINGCHARACTERS
73
2024's "Joker: ___ à Deux" : FOLIE
74
Alfresco area : PATIO
75
"Everything cool between us?" : WEGOOD
76
Poorly nourished : ILLFED
78
Fill at a fill-up : GAS
80
___ card : SIM
81
Rite Aid rival : CVS
84
CHRISTIAN SLATER : ELAINESTRITCH
89
City on the Illinois River : PEORIA
92
Grumpy grimace : MOUE
93
Discontinued Swedish cars : SAABS
96
Inauthentic : PHONY
97
"Catch-22" topic : WAR
100
Join, as two metal surfaces : SOLDER
102
ISABELLA ROSSELLINI : BRIELARSON
104
KEVIN KLINE : EVELKNIEVEL
107
Erté's style, informally : DECO
108
Canadian fuel brand : ESSO
109
All-vowel musical refrain : EIEIO
110
Actress Falco with four Emmys : EDIE
112
Sugary secretion : NECTAR
114
BEA ARTHUR : BABERUTH
118
MARLON BRANDO : ORLANDOBLOOM
122
Submitted by the deadline : INONTIME
123
B.L.T. or P.B.J., cutesily : SAMMIE
124
Musician/actress Haim : ALANA
125
Syllable of censure : TSK
126
Instants : SECS
127
High-protein bean : SOYA
128
Big name in truck rentals : RYDER
Down
1
God, to Bob Marley : JAH
2
"___ you done?" : ARE
3
Musical comedy that was 1968's highest-grossing film : FUNNYGIRL
4
Caustic : ABRASIVE
5
Bootlegger's concern : RAID
6
Like 666, popularly : SATANIC
7
Band that's big in Japan? : OBI
8
Disoriented : LOST
9
Administered, as a drug : DOSED
10
Potentialities : IFS
11
Something found under a top : BRA
12
Wriggler in a stream : EEL
13
"___ fugit" : TEMPUS
14
Star's opposite : NONAME
15
Stout figure? : BREWER
16
Supreme Egyptian god : AMONRA
18
Inuit watercraft : KAYAKS
19
Office messages : MEMOS
21
Like some mattresses and offers : FIRM
23
Mineral that makes cosmetics shimmer : MICA
27
Remove an identifier from, as on Instagram : UNTAG
29
Clear : ERASE
30
Shoulder press targets, to trainers : DELTS
32
Hit a ___ : SNAG
34
Where a flock may gather : NAVE
35
Beginning on : ASOF
36
Attach with a needle and thread : SEWON
38
Unused : NEW
39
Extreme happiness : GLEE
44
Double-breasted pieces of menswear : POLOCOATS
47
Trigger : SPUR
49
Like Scrooge McDuck : RICH
50
Right-hand page of a book : RECTO
51
Made muffs : ERRED
52
John ___ Day (California commemoration) : MUIR
53
Citrus refreshments : ADES
54
"N.Y. State of Mind" rapper : NAS
57
1994 Costner title role : EARP
58
Diva's time to shine : ARIA
61
"Dune" genre : SCIFI
62
Mary or Elizabeth : QUEEN
63
Towering creature in "The Two Towers" : ENT
65
Sound in a cornfield : CAW
66
Half brother of Apollo : ARES
67
Christmas presence? : MAGI
69
Sushi bar serving : ROLL
70
Jazz great Fitzgerald : ELLA
71
Along with "CODA" and "Argo," the only other four-letter Best Picture winner : GIGI
72
Give gratis : COMP
73
Shakespearean shout : FIE
77
That's the spirit! : DEMON
79
Strike defier : SCAB
81
Part of an intersection : CROSSROAD
82
Barolos e Brunellos : VINOS
83
Turn someone down : SAYNO
85
Unshared numbers : SOLI
86
Hostile manner, informally : TUDE
87
Actor and disability activist Christopher : REEVE
88
Like some liquors : HARD
90
Org. regulating air quality : EPA
91
"You sure about that?" : OHREALLY
94
Periods of 730 days : BIENNIA
95
Withdraw from a union : SECEDE
97
Teensy amount : WEEBIT
98
Feathered fliers : AVIANS
99
Shoe brand named for an antelope : REEBOK
100
Hybrid tennis bottoms : SKORTS
101
Second tries : REDOS
103
El Pollo ___ (chicken chain) : LOCO
105
Creditor's claim : LIEN
106
Turkish money : LIRAS
111
Fad toy of 1996 : ELMO
113
Snowboarder's transport : TBAR
115
Often-illegal turn, slangily : UIE
116
Cinephile's cable choice : TMC
117
Boars and bulls : HES
119
Comedian Sedaris : AMY
120
I, to Augustus : ONE
121
Smudge or smear, say : MAR

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

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