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Initial Thoughts

New York Times, Sunday, April 12, 2026

Author:
Lance Enfinger and John Kugelman
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Line of latitude?
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
47/30/20224/12/20262
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
2010001
ScrabDebutFlowFresh
1.572550.661%
Lance Enfinger
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
187/30/20234/12/20264
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
15100200
CircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
21.5817742.663%
John Kugelman

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 136, Blocks: 68 Missing: {QZ} Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 4 for Mr. Enfinger. This is puzzle # 18 for Mr. Kugelman. Grid flow: 66.4 Sunday freshness: 67%
Will Shortz notes:
Lance Enfinger is a community pharmacist at a Publix pharmacy in Charlotte, N.C. John Kugelman, of Gainesville, Va., is a software engineer specializing in cybersecurity. A year ago, Lance ... read more
Jim Horne notes:

Clues that start with a word in all caps indicate that the letters are the initials of the answer phrase. Eg, HOT for HELEN OF TROY.

1
W
2
I
3
T
4
H
5
D
6
O
7
L
8
T
9
S
10
C
11
U
12
B
13
A
14
M
15
A
16
S
17
H
18
C
H
L
O
E
19
A
F
O
O
T
20
A
N
O
N
21
A
L
O
E
22
H
E
L
E
N
23
O
F
T
R
O
Y
24
N
I
N
J
25
A
S
T
A
R
26
A
R
A
B
27
S
T
E
N
T
28
G
I
V
E
O
R
T
A
K
E
29
S
E
L
E
30
N
A
31
N
E
A
32
T
H
33
R
U
S
E
34
L
A
U
G
35
H
36
L
I
E
37
I
38
N
S
39
O
R
40
C
41
A
42
S
43
B
44
L
O
N
D
E
O
45
N
46
B
L
O
N
D
E
47
I
N
C
O
D
E
48
L
O
W
49
E
S
T
E
R
50
T
E
N
51
P
M
52
L
O
I
N
53
T
R
I
54
M
S
55
S
W
I
56
F
57
T
58
D
E
E
P
59
F
A
K
E
S
60
S
I
T
U
61
M
A
D
E
I
R
62
A
63
R
E
I
S
S
U
E
64
M
65
A
I
L
O
R
D
E
R
66
B
67
R
I
D
E
S
68
P
69
I
70
T
B
O
S
S
71
E
N
C
L
O
S
E
72
E
73
P
74
E
75
E
76
I
N
A
L
L
C
A
77
P
78
S
79
T
O
U
C
H
80
A
S
A
D
A
81
T
E
T
E
82
U
S
A
I
83
D
84
E
C
I
85
G
S
86
R
E
V
87
A
R
A
R
88
A
T
89
S
N
A
90
K
91
E
S
O
N
A
P
92
L
A
N
E
93
S
T
R
A
T
94
A
S
K
M
O
M
95
G
R
E
E
D
96
P
E
97
A
S
98
O
N
O
99
F
100
F
101
I
R
V
I
102
N
103
G
104
K
105
E
106
E
P
I
T
D
107
O
108
W
N
109
T
I
L
110
T
S
111
E
D
I
E
112
A
R
G
E
N
T
I
N
A
113
T
E
X
A
S
H
114
O
L
D
E
M
115
L
I
A
R
116
I
D
I
G
117
E
R
I
K
A
118
L
U
L
L
S
119
E
N
D
S
120
C
I
T
E
121
A
S
T
E
R
122
A
P
E
S
© 2026, The New York Times4/12/26 ( No. 27,914 )
Across
1
Words ___ Friends : WITH
5
Dunderheads : DOLTS
10
Starting point of Diana Nyad's 2013 swim to Florida : CUBA
14
Reduce to a pulp : MASH
18
Actress ___ Grace Moretz : CHLOE
19
"The game's ___": Henry V : AFOOT
20
Mystery writer? : ANON
21
Soothing succulent : ALOE
22
HOT woman worth fighting for? : HELENOFTROY
24
Throwing weapon known in Japanese as a shuriken : NINJASTAR
26
2010-12's ___ Spring : ARAB
27
Coronary insert : STENT
28
GOT in the ballpark? : GIVEORTAKE
29
Gomez of "Only Murders in the Building" : SELENA
31
Under, poetically : NEATH
33
Trick : RUSE
34
Music to a comedian's ears : LAUGH
36
Some 1960s-style protests : LIEINS
39
Contents of a black-and-white pod : ORCAS
43
BOB Dylan album? : BLONDEONBLONDE
47
Impossible to read, perhaps : INCODE
48
Word before cut or class : LOW
49
Fragrant compound : ESTER
50
"It's ___. Do you know where your children are?" (old P.S.A.) : TENPM
52
Butcher's cut : LOIN
53
Takes a little off : TRIMS
55
Time's 2023 Person of the Year : SWIFT
58
A.I.-powered video hoaxes : DEEPFAKES
60
In ___ : SITU
61
Portuguese wine : MADEIRA
63
Put out again : REISSUE
64
MOB wives? : MAILORDERBRIDES
68
Casino supervisor : PITBOSS
71
Surround : ENCLOSE
72
Poker in the Olympics? : EPEE
76
How an urgent text may be written : INALLCAPS
79
Affect emotionally : TOUCH
80
Carne ___ : ASADA
81
Word on either side of "à" : TETE
82
Org. founded to fund foreign projects : USAID
84
Vapes, familiarly : ECIGS
86
King's title, in brief : REV
87
Turkish summit : ARARAT
89
SOAP film? : SNAKESONAPLANE
93
Alternative to a Les Paul, for short : STRAT
94
Dad's deflection : ASKMOM
95
One of the seven deadly sins : GREED
96
Vegetables rarely cut with a knife : PEAS
98
Switch positions : ONOFF
101
Washington or Berlin : IRVING
104
KID napper's demand? : KEEPITDOWN
109
Loses emotional control, in gamer-speak : TILTS
111
Socialite Sedgwick, the supposed inspiration for Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" : EDIE
112
Winning country at the 2022 World Cup : ARGENTINA
113
THE big game? : TEXASHOLDEM
115
"You're full of baloney!" : LIAR
116
"Right on, man" : IDIG
117
"Baywatch" actress Eleniak : ERIKA
118
Breathers : LULLS
119
Goals : ENDS
120
Reference : CITE
121
Fall perennial : ASTER
122
Primatologists' subjects : APES
Down
1
One of a reporter's W's : WHERE
2
Line of latitude? : ILLALLOWIT
3
Squishy part of a cat's paw, cutesily : TOEBEAN
4
Brooding sort : HEN
5
Nutty : DAFT
6
Frequently : OFTEN
7
2025 biography subtitled "The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live" : LORNE
8
Nickname for the 6'9" Dallas Cowboys great Ed Jones : TOOTALL
9
What a mess : STY
10
Kid's repeated request : CANI
11
Part of U.C.L.A.: Abbr. : UNIV
12
Idiot mistakes : BONERS
13
Pear variety : ANJOU
14
Dazzling displays of skill : MASTERCLASSES
15
Utah ski resort : ALTA
16
Linger in the bath : SOAK
17
Roll call response : HERE
18
Nickname that's an alternative to Chuck : CHAS
23
Native Oklahomans : OSAGES
25
Bad lighting? : ARSON
28
Treaty of ___, official close to the War of 1812 : GHENT
30
Some N.S.F.W. texts : NUDES
32
Madre's hermano : TIO
35
Spicy dips : HOTSALSAS
37
Named, informally : IDED
38
Madre's baby : NENE
40
Manipulates dishonestly : COOKS
41
Common Wordle starting word (for all those vowels) : ADIEU
42
Feel : SENSE
43
Crunchy sandwiches, for short : BLTS
44
___ Greiner, inventor and "Shark Tank" personality : LORI
45
Fresh cut : NEWDO
46
Prickly patch : BRIER
47
Fetter : IMPEDE
51
Disappearing from the earth : PERISHING
54
Hip-hop artists with unintelligible lyrics : MUMBLERAPPERS
56
Bona ___ : FIDE
57
Council of ___ (Counter-Reformation body) : TRENT
59
Mild oath : FIE
61
Trading card error : MISCUT
62
Bowed, musically : ARCO
65
Big inits. in 1990s internet : AOL
66
Genre for Stevie Ray Vaughan : BLUES
67
Celebrity chef DiSpirito : ROCCO
68
Gyro wraps : PITAS
69
Like krypton : INERT
70
Turkic language : TATAR
73
Basic drumming pattern : PARADIDDLE
74
Steinbeck's "East of ___" : EDEN
75
Place for Christmas lights : EAVE
77
"Not interested" : PASS
78
Head toward bankruptcy, say : SINK
80
According to : ASPER
83
Matt of "Oppenheimer" : DAMON
85
Overly bright and showy : GARISH
88
Used DoorDash, say : ATEIN
90
___Mari Method (tidying system) : KON
91
Hams : EMOTERS
92
Advance in a video game : LEVELUP
94
"That was true for me, too" : ASDIDI
97
Storage area : ATTIC
99
Demand from a disgruntled customer : FIXIT
100
Unreliable sort, in slang : FLAKE
102
What a Bohr! : NIELS
103
Diamonds, but not clubs : GEMS
104
Dark green : KALE
105
"The Office" receptionist : ERIN
106
Mild oath : EGAD
107
"Don't worry, boss!" : ONIT
108
Kind of hike : WAGE
110
Position removed by the February Revolution : TSAR
113
Drink "for two," in song : TEA
114
Portuguese greeting : OLA

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

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