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New York Times, Monday, March 16, 2026

Author:
Jamey Smith
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
"Throw me the ball, no one's covering me!"
TotalDebutLatest
53/15/20193/16/2026
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0110030
ScrabDebutFlowFresh
1.602640.861%
Jamey Smith

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 78, Blocks: 38 Missing: {JKXZ} This is puzzle # 5 for Mr. Smith. Grid flow: 28.8 Monday freshness: 84%
1
I
2
M
3
O
4
P
5
E
6
N
7
W
8
H
9
I
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R
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B
12
A
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T
14
N
E
B
U
L
A
15
W
A
C
O
16
A
I
R
17
A
D
I
N
F
I
18
N
I
T
U
M
19
D
O
E
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P
I
T
T
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F
Y
I
22
A
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M
P
L
E
24
T
A
P
S
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S
U
I
26
G
27
E
N
E
R
I
S
28
A
O
29
C
30
S
P
O
T
31
M
32
A
G
N
U
33
M
34
O
35
P
U
S
36
A
37
G
38
O
39
G
40
D
I
E
41
P
O
R
T
I
O
42
N
43
A
N
Y
44
S
D
S
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U
46
P
O
S
T
M
O
47
R
T
E
M
48
P
49
E
E
N
50
W
E
E
51
Q
52
U
53
I
D
P
R
O
54
Q
55
U
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O
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P
A
58
S
59
T
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A
S
D
O
I
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U
R
L
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A
G
U
A
63
T
A
I
64
L
65
A
66
T
I
N
L
67
O
V
E
R
S
68
A
G
O
69
O
P
A
L
70
A
V
E
N
G
E
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R
E
M
72
G
E
N
T
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S
I
S
T
E
R
© 2026, The New York Times3/16/26 ( No. 27,887 )
Across
1
"Throw me the ball, no one's covering me!" : IMOPEN
7
Drone's sound : WHIR
11
Cave-dwelling flier : BAT
14
Galactic cloud : NEBULA
15
Texas city that's home to Baylor University : WACO
16
Broadcast : AIR
17
*Forever : ADINFINITUM
19
Deer mother? : DOE
20
Brad of 2025's "F1" : PITT
21
"In case it's of interest ...," in brief : FYI
22
Plenty of : AMPLE
24
Bugle tune : TAPS
25
*One of a kind : SUIGENERIS
28
Bronx-born congresswoman elected in 2018, familiarly : AOC
30
"Great Red" feature of Jupiter : SPOT
31
*Masterwork : MAGNUMOPUS
36
Wide-eyed and eager : AGOG
40
Go down to 0%, as a computer battery : DIE
41
Allotment : PORTION
43
"___ word?" : ANY
44
SoCal sch. whose teams are the Aztecs : SDSU
46
*After the event, as an analysis : POSTMORTEM
48
Ball-___ hammer : PEEN
50
Teeny-tiny : WEE
51
*Reciprocal exchange : QUIDPROQUO
57
Historian's focus : PAST
60
"Me too," formally : ASDOI
61
One might end with "com" or "org" : URL
62
Water, in Juárez : AGUA
63
___ chi : TAI
64
Stereotypical charmers ... or those charmed by the answers to the starred clues? : LATINLOVERS
68
Before today : AGO
69
Gem mined in Australia : OPAL
70
Exact retribution for : AVENGE
71
Sleep cycle inits. : REM
72
Chap : GENT
73
Term of address for a nun : SISTER
Down
1
Not suitable : INAPT
2
Social ___ (TikTok, Instagram, etc.) : MEDIA
3
Locales for the late news? : OBITPAGES
4
Kicks down the road, as a decision : PUNTSON
5
Santa's little helper : ELF
6
Innocent sorts : NAIFS
7
Hypothetical (one hopes!) global conflict, for short : WWIII
8
Beanie or beret : HAT
9
Carefully monitored hosp. area : ICU
10
Italian cheese : ROMANO
11
Negative press for a celeb, say : BADPR
12
Condiment with lots of garlic ... and vowels : AIOLI
13
Family diagrams : TREES
18
Greenwich Village campus, in brief : NYU
23
Like a book about writing a book, say : META
26
Fighter pilot's garb : GSUIT
27
___ salts : EPSOM
29
Recipe unit : CUP
31
Rx writers : MDS
32
A helping hand : AID
33
Sullen sort : MOPER
34
City that's home to the University of Maine : ORONO
35
Six for a touchdown: Abbr. : PTS
37
Staffer in a flight terminal : GATEAGENT
38
"All for ___ and ___ for all!" : ONE
39
Workout site : GYM
42
"Pronto!" : NOW
45
Fancy coif : UPDO
47
Improves, as a bike path : REPAVES
49
Literary afterthought : EPILOG
51
Mideast nation ruled by the House of Thani : QATAR
52
Meter reading : USAGE
53
"Talk turkey" or "eat crow" : IDIOM
54
Warm bed covering : QUILT
55
Still-life vessel : URN
56
Earthen pots, from the Spanish : OLLAS
58
Sudden increase : SURGE
59
Weapon that stuns : TASER
65
Tail-less primate : APE
66
Beachgoer's "souvenir" : TAN
67
Prefix meaning "egg" : OVI

Answer summary:
3 unique to this puzzle, 2 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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