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PEST CONTROL

New York Times, Sunday, December 26, 2021

Author:
Christina Iverson
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Form of nepotism, symbolically
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
387/30/201910/15/202528
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
116522471
RebusCircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
331.5921541.652%
Christina Iverson

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 142, Blocks: 80 Missing: {JQX} Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 10 for Ms. Iverson. Grid flow: 20.4 Sunday freshness: 9%
Will Shortz notes:
Christina Iverson, of Ames, Iowa, is a crossword constructor with two young children. She has been making puzzles for The Times since 2019. This is her fourth Sunday and 10th crossword ... read more
Christina Iverson notes:
Like many of my puzzles, this was inspired by my son's interests. I thought it would be fun to put bugs in a puzzle, and "working out the bugs" seemed like a crossword-friendly phrase. I ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
WORK OUT THE BUGS is such a great revealer, pointing at bugs — ANTs, TICKs, FLYs, LICE, etc. — that need to be removed from clues for their entries to make sense. The italicized ... read more
Jim Horne notes:
The clue for 16-Down seems to be an error. The Thriller lyric is "I can thrill you more than any GHOST could ever dare try." The word "ghouls" does occur later in the song, but in a ... read more
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© 2021, The New York Times12/26/21 ( No. 26,346 )
Across
1
Appoint : ORDAIN
7
People of the Southwest : APACHE
13
Wishy-washy response : IMIGHT
19
Had the opportunity to, casually : COULDA
20
Entertainment with a private audience? : USOTOUR
21
Malice, more formally : MOTHER
22
One wearing chapstick, perhaps : HORSEBACKRIDER
24
Be up against : OPPOSE
25
Poker variety similar to Texas hold 'em : OMAHA
26
Counterpart of "Thx" : PLS
27
Saves for later, in a way : TIVOS
29
Ploy : RUSE
30
Lost : ATSEA
32
Antarctic coordinate : NORTHPOLE
35
"A man has cause for ___ only when he sows and no one reaps": Charles Goodyear : REGRET
38
Bit of tinder : TWIG
41
First side to vote : YEAS
42
___ course : PREP
43
New York City transport stopping at Kennedy Airport : ATRAIN
46
Beginning stage : GERM
47
Prefix with thermal : GEO
50
There might be a catch with this : MITT
51
Blouse and broach, perhaps : PUBLICHOUSE
54
Wet bar? : SOAP
55
Form of nepotism, symbolically : SCHOOLTIES
57
Herd member : EWE
58
Sauce : BOOZE
59
Place, as ceramic tiles : INSET
60
Like autumn air : BRISK
62
Person helping with a delivery : OBGYN
63
Word before film and after clip : ART
65
It has many beet and beef options : TRUEFALSETEST
70
"___ Trois Petits Cochons" (French fable) : LES
71
Sport at the Special Olympics : BOCCE
73
G.I. ___ : TRACT
74
Calling : NICHE
76
Not be able to stand : ABHOR
77
Ending with invent : IVE
78
War and peace, in "War and Peace" : MAINTHEMES
83
Like most dorms nowadays : COED
84
Tickled : SPEARHEADED
87
Focus of modern mining : DATA
88
"___ be an honor!" : ITD
89
They can be graphic : TEES
90
Surround, as with light : ENHALO
91
Considerations for N.C.A.A. eligibility : GPAS
92
___ Wintour, longtime Vogue editor in chief : ANNA
93
Spring locales : SPAS
94
Takes by force : WRESTS
96
Pop fly : SOFTDRINK
100
Some family babysitters : NANAS
102
Match : PAIR
103
Sarge's boss : LOOIE
105
A-number-one : TOP
106
The Venetian way? : CANAL
110
Alternative to Dropbox : ICLOUD
113
Gradually fix something ... or what to do to understand this puzzle's italicized clues? : WORKOUTTHEBUGS
116
Briefly, e.g. : CHEESE
117
What's used to catch some waves : ANTENNA
118
Supreme Egyptian god : AMENRA
119
Bum out : SADDEN
120
Famous cryptid, familiarly : NESSIE
121
Intimates : GETSAT
Down
1
Number of sides on a sign reading "ALTO" : OCHO
2
Space : ROOM
3
___ mater (brain cover) : DURA
4
Politico-turned-TV host : ALSHARPTON
5
Form thoughts : IDEATE
6
Catch : NAB
7
Seeks a favor, say : ASKS
8
___ favor : POR
9
Working hard : ATIT
10
Java activity : CODING
11
Product from un ave : HUEVO
12
Boo-boo : ERROR
13
Texter's qualifier : IMO
14
One might be put through the wringer : MOP
15
Geek Squad members, e.g. : ITPROS
16
"I can thrill you more than any ___ could ever dare try" ("Thriller" lyric) : GHOUL
17
"The Glass Bead Game" author, 1943 : HESSE
18
Pecan or peach : TREE
20
Sch. where a live bear used to take the field during football games : UCLA
23
Echo, perhaps : APE
28
Pimple lookalikes : STYES
31
It usually works in corners : STAPLER
33
"Catch!" : HERE
34
Baker's Joy alternative : PAM
35
Record speeds, for short : RPMS
36
Adams of New York City politics : ERIC
37
Antelope, say : GETHITCHED
38
Parable or allegory : TALE
39
Devices with Nunchuks : WIIS
40
Business news magazine : INC
44
"For shame!" : TUTTUT
45
Slugging stat : RBI
46
Member of the inn crowd? : GUEST
47
Approach for directions : GOOGLEMAPS
48
Onetime collaborator with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre : EAZYE
49
Some sports tournaments : OPENS
52
Big name in women's hair and skin care : HERS
53
Boo-boo : OWIE
54
Word with story or sister : SOB
56
Economist/author Emily : OSTER
58
Screw up : BOTCH
60
Relative of a club, for short : BLT
61
Place for boarding : KENNEL
63
You can count on them : ABACI
64
Member of the modern work force : ROBOT
66
Great Lakes natives : ERIES
67
Kind of bean : FAVA
68
Taiwanese electronics giant : ACER
69
"I'm about to tell you something shocking" : SITDOWN
72
Haddock relative : COD
75
Doesn't put it all on one pony : HEDGESABET
78
Suvari of "American Beauty" : MENA
79
Sounds heard in 93-Across : AAHS
80
Destructive 2021 hurricane : IDA
81
Nouveau-Mexique, e.g. : ETAT
82
Lip or cheek : SASS
84
Put over the moon : SEND
85
One hanging around Queen Elizabeth? : PEARL
86
With it, in old slang : HEP
89
"Snowpiercer" airer : TNT
92
Sporting a certain natural style : AFROED
93
Avoids : SKIRTS
95
Tortoise's challenge to the hare : RACEME
96
Nickname for the French Alexandre : SACHA
97
No longer squeaky (one hopes!) : OILED
98
John Wayne, by birth : IOWAN
99
Who ran against George Washington for president : NOONE
100
"___ chance!" : NOTA
101
Letters that complete this word: _P_ROPRIA_E : APT
102
Snaps : PICS
104
Squeezes (out) : EKES
105
Good thing to be in : TUNE
107
Letters on dreidels : NUNS
108
Taj Mahal's home : AGRA
109
Exam that once required fingerprint identification, for short : LSAT
111
Exercise : USE
112
Animal house : DEN
114
Demon of Japanese folklore : ONI
115
Folklore villain : HAG

Answer summary:
5 unique to this puzzle, 1 debuted here and reused later, 2 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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