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New York Times, Monday, February 23, 2026

Author:
Hannah Binney
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
21-Across : ___ fide (genuine)
TotalDebutLatest
412/30/20242/23/2026
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0400000
ScrabDebutFlowFresh
1.591138.214%
Hannah Binney

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 76, Blocks: 38 Missing: {JKMQ} This is puzzle # 4 for Ms. Binney. Grid flow: 46.6 Monday freshness: 78%
Hannah Binney notes:
This is my fourth Monday puzzle! I love being able to jazz up a simple crossword theme with fun entries like BACHELORPAD and ... read more
Jim Horne notes:

The word ROLE can be found spelled backward (reversed) in each theme answer.

1
B
2
O
3
Z
4
O
5
S
6
A
7
B
8
D
9
U
10
L
11
R
12
A
13
G
14
I
R
A
T
E
15
W
E
E
P
S
16
E
R
A
17
B
A
C
H
E
18
L
O
R
P
A
D
19
C
E
L
20
E
Y
E
L
E
T
21
B
O
N
A
22
O
23
U
24
T
R
O
S
25
T
H
26
E
27
L
O
R
A
X
28
U
S
A
29
U
S
30
B
31
W
O
O
D
S
Y
32
R
E
R
33
A
N
34
R
35
A
36
C
E
B
Y
37
R
O
L
E
38
R
E
V
E
R
S
A
39
L
40
S
41
I
V
O
T
E
D
42
T
H
E
I
43
R
44
C
45
H
46
A
S
E
D
47
E
48
S
E
49
F
R
O
50
D
E
L
O
R
E
51
A
52
N
53
O
R
54
A
T
E
D
55
C
A
I
N
56
N
I
57
G
H
T
S
58
A
T
E
59
N
60
A
V
E
L
O
R
A
61
N
62
G
63
E
64
S
U
N
65
T
W
I
C
E
66
A
D
O
R
N
67
E
P
S
68
H
E
L
E
N
69
P
O
S
E
D
© 2026, The New York Times2/23/26 ( No. 27,866 )
Across
1
Buffoons : BOZOS
6
Paula of "American Idol" : ABDUL
11
Final use for an old T-shirt : RAG
14
Enraged : IRATE
15
What "my guitar gently" does, in a classic George Harrison song : WEEPS
16
Mesozoic or Paleozoic : ERA
17
Home for a single guy : BACHELORPAD
19
Animation sheet : CEL
20
Hole for threading a lace : EYELET
21
___ fide (genuine) : BONA
22
"Please like and subscribe" and the like, on YouTube videos : OUTROS
25
Dr. Seuss book with the quote "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." : THELORAX
28
___ Today : USA
29
Kind of computer port : USB
31
Like the smell of trees : WOODSY
32
Showed again : RERAN
34
Zoom past : RACEBY
37
Psychotherapy switcheroos ... or what are hidden in 17-, 25-, 50- and 59-Across? : ROLEREVERSALS
41
Text on a red, white and blue sticker : IVOTED
42
Gender-neutral possessive : THEIR
44
Ran after : CHASED
47
Opposite of WNW : ESE
49
To and ___ : FRO
50
Time machine car in "Back to the Future" : DELOREAN
53
Made a grand speech : ORATED
55
Brother of Abel : CAIN
56
Times between dusk and dawn : NIGHTS
58
Had lunch, say : ATE
59
Fruit with a "bellybutton" : NAVELORANGE
64
What planets revolve around : SUN
65
How often the time is 12:00 each day : TWICE
66
Decorate : ADORN
67
Mini-albums : EPS
68
___ of Troy : HELEN
69
Sat for a portrait : POSED
Down
1
Accessory for a baby in a highchair : BIB
2
British singer Rita : ORA
3
Efron of "The Greatest Showman" : ZAC
4
Last multiple-choice option, often : OTHER
5
Rude goodbye to an enemy : SEEYOUNEVER
6
Soldier who has failed to report : AWOL
7
Military cap : BERET
8
One of the three dimensions : DEPTH
9
Kick ___ fuss : UPA
10
Counterculture drug, in brief : LSD
11
4.75 seconds to assemble a Mr. Potato Head, per Guinness : RECORD
12
Concert venues : ARENAS
13
Milky Way, e.g. : GALAXY
18
Not as much : LESS
21
"I crushed it!!!" : BOOYAH
22
Not just my : OUR
23
___-friendly : USER
24
Root used in making poi : TARO
26
Large jug : EWER
27
Cage for crustaceans : LOBSTERTRAP
30
"American Psycho" author ___ Easton Ellis : BRET
33
Cartoonist Bechdel : ALISON
35
Mass ___ (Boston thoroughfare) : AVE
36
Give up : CEDE
38
Was a passenger : RODE
39
Democrats and Socialists, with "the" : LEFT
40
Father : SIRE
43
Axle, e.g. : ROD
44
Jewel box : CDCASE
45
Start to escalate : HEATUP
46
Extraterrestrials : ALIENS
48
London theater district : SOHO
51
Object hitting people's heads in old cartoons : ANVIL
52
Sibling's daughter : NIECE
54
South American barbecue : ASADO
57
Valley : GLEN
59
High degree : NTH
60
Response to seeing an aurora, maybe : AWE
61
Rejections : NOS
62
College sr.'s test : GRE
63
63-Down, in this puzzle : END

Answer summary:
5 unique to this puzzle.

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