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Halving the Last Word

New York Times, Sunday, May 18, 2025

Author:
Garrett Chalfin
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Time for a pick-me-up, humorously
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
108/1/20225/18/20254
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
3210202
CircleScrabDebutFresh
11.616954%
Garrett Chalfin

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 138, Blocks: 74 Missing: {Z} This is puzzle # 10 for Mr. Chalfin. Sunday freshness: 84%
Will Shortz notes:
Garrett Chalfin is a second-year student at the University of Chicago, studying philosophy and economics. He says he's made many friends in college through crosswords — including, most ... read more
Jim Horne notes:

Chop the last word of each theme answer in half to make sense of the clues.

1
R
2
E
3
C
4
T
5
O
6
B
7
I
8
A
9
L
10
Y
11
A
12
L
13
A
14
I
15
C
16
A
17
P
18
E
19
B
A
I
U
L
20
E
M
C
E
E
21
P
E
E
K
22
O
W
E
S
23
G
R
A
N
D
24
R
A
P
I
D
S
25
P
E
N
N
26
F
A
S
T
27
L
O
I
T
E
R
E
D
28
T
A
K
E
O
29
F
F
I
C
E
30
N
O
T
31
I
T
32
C
33
H
Y
34
S
A
W
E
E
T
I
E
35
D
36
R
37
U
G
W
A
38
R
39
R
O
A
R
40
S
41
S
I
R
E
42
M
A
K
I
N
G
A
43
N
I
M
P
A
C
44
T
45
T
N
O
46
T
47
E
48
S
49
E
V
E
N
50
D
O
P
E
51
A
I
52
M
53
S
C
R
E
W
54
D
E
S
55
E
56
M
I
T
57
V
58
I
R
G
I
59
L
60
L
A
N
A
61
C
H
A
O
S
62
M
E
N
U
63
D
E
64
P
O
S
I
T
65
G
66
R
O
U
C
H
O
67
M
A
R
X
M
68
U
S
T
A
C
H
E
69
J
O
H
N
D
O
E
70
R
A
G
S
71
R
U
B
I
K
72
A
T
O
N
73
S
A
74
Y
S
M
E
75
I
M
E
D
76
O
77
C
78
D
79
G
A
D
O
80
T
81
D
E
W
82
L
83
I
A
M
84
I
R
A
Q
85
S
T
A
I
R
86
S
87
W
H
88
A
89
T
S
T
H
E
90
D
91
A
M
A
G
E
92
S
U
C
93
H
94
O
L
L
A
S
95
R
I
V
A
L
E
D
96
B
97
R
98
A
S
T
R
A
99
P
100
A
C
T
A
101
S
102
D
O
M
103
L
O
V
E
H
O
T
E
104
L
S
105
B
E
106
A
U
C
O
107
U
108
P
109
A
L
O
U
110
L
E
T
O
111
S
112
A
L
E
S
P
E
R
S
O
113
N
114
H
E
I
R
115
L
O
C
O
116
E
R
U
P
T
117
T
O
M
M
Y
118
S
O
D
S
119
S
N
O
T
120
T
O
R
S
O
121
S
N
A
P
E
© 2025, The New York Times5/18/25 ( No. 27,585 )
Across
1
Verso's counterpart : RECTO
6
Alternative to an onion bagel : BIALY
11
Jai ___ : ALAI
15
Where the Pilgrims first landed in the New World : CAPE
19
Skating gold medalist Oksana : BAIUL
20
Host : EMCEE
21
Quick look : PEEK
22
Has a tab open, say : OWES
23
Hip-hop's "Puba" and "Daddy I.U."? : GRANDRAPIDS
25
Station near Madison Square Garden, for short : PENN
26
Fleet : FAST
27
Hung around : LOITERED
28
Remove from the champagne bucket? : TAKEOFFICE
30
"Just kidding!" : NOT
31
Feeling rash? : ITCHY
34
Hip-hop artist with the 2019 hit "My Type" : SAWEETIE
35
Crisis involving cartels : DRUGWAR
39
Goes "Vroom!" : ROARS
41
Royal title : SIRE
42
Casting a total brat in the school play? : MAKINGANIMPACT
45
Some govt. securities : TNOTES
49
___-tempered : EVEN
50
"Super cool!" : DOPE
51
Get ready to take a shot : AIM
53
Ship propeller : SCREW
54
French for "from" : DES
55
Release : EMIT
57
Dante's guide in the "Inferno" : VIRGIL
60
Singer Del Rey : LANA
61
"The score upon which reality is written," per Henry Miller : CHAOS
62
Apps might be seen on one : MENU
63
Sediment, e.g. : DEPOSIT
65
"The co-star of 'Duck Soup' has to be sore after that!"? : GROUCHOMARXMUSTACHE
69
Anonymous guy : JOHNDOE
70
Pauperism, so to speak : RAGS
71
Author of the 2020 memoir "Cubed" : RUBIK
72
Lots : ATON
73
"Because I'm the boss!" : SAYSME
75
Pinged online : IMED
76
Condition for which Luvox may be prescribed, in brief : OCD
79
"Wonder Woman" star : GADOT
81
Mountain ___ : DEW
82
Late singer Payne of One Direction : LIAM
84
Modern home of where cuneiform writing originated : IRAQ
85
Way up or way down : STAIRS
87
"How long have beavers blocked this river?"? : WHATSTHEDAMAGE
92
"As ___ …" : SUCH
94
Earthenware pots : OLLAS
95
Was comparable to : RIVALED
96
Apparel feature that a bandeau lacks : BRASTRAP
100
Function in the role of : ACTAS
102
Monk's title : DOM
103
Be crazy about Chicago trains with broken A.C.s? : LOVEHOTELS
105
Much in quantity : BEAUCOUP
109
Baseball family name : ALOU
110
Actor Jared : LETO
111
Metric in a competitive family business? : SALESPERSON
114
Prince, e.g. : HEIR
115
In ___ parentis : LOCO
116
Blow : ERUPT
117
Designer Hilfiger : TOMMY
118
Lays turf on : SODS
119
Little twerp : SNOT
120
Trunk : TORSO
121
Head of Slytherin House in the Harry Potter books : SNAPE
Down
1
Subject of the 2018 biopic "On the Basis of Sex," familiarly : RBG
2
Noble title : EARL
3
"Ci vediamo in giro!" : CIAO
4
Getting ready to listen : TUNINGIN
5
Historic district of a city : OLDTOWN
6
Gnarly problem, so to speak : BEAR
7
Architect of Hong Kong's Bank of China Tower : IMPEI
8
Certain hallucinatory experience : ACIDTRIP
9
Directed : LED
10
Last word of James Joyce's "Ulysses" : YES
11
Dad, in Korean : APPA
12
Ingredients in some potato soups : LEEKS
13
Son of Aphrodite : AENEAS
14
"You don't have to tell me" : IKNOWIT
15
Time for a pick-me-up, humorously : COFFEEOCLOCK
16
Lie ahead : AWAIT
17
Joe of "Home Alone" : PESCI
18
First name in perfumes : ESTEE
24
Label anew : RETAG
28
Banks from Los Angeles : TYRA
29
Maidenhair and others : FERNS
32
Common dog command : COME
33
Chance : HAP
35
Hit up on Instagram, informally : DMED
36
Overnight party with light shows and "cuddle puddles" : RAVE
37
Luau strings : UKES
38
Rock group with the 1992 hit "Creep" : RADIOHEAD
40
Harum-___ (reckless) : SCARUM
43
Untrue : NOTSO
44
Notaro of comedy : TIG
46
Drag-and-drop disposal icon : TRASH
47
Start of a counting rhyme : EENIE
48
Hit with a smack : SWAT
52
Time in a Shakespeare title : MIDSUMMER
55
Former Israeli P.M. Olmert : EHUD
56
Platform for Safari and FaceTime : MACOS
57
Borderline : VERGE
58
"Need You Tonight" band, 1987 : INXS
59
Leave alone : LETBE
61
Arbiters of taste : CONNOISSEURS
62
Polite term of address : MAAM
64
Stamp on an invoice : PAID
65
Implied : GOTAT
66
Valerie Harper title role : RHODA
67
One of three immortal elders in "A Wrinkle in Time" : MRSWHO
68
Dickens's ___ Heep : URIAH
69
Bouts : JAGS
74
Tree whose name sounds like a pronoun : YEW
76
Word with history or hygiene : ORAL
77
Shut up : CAGE
78
Threw out of a contest, informally : DQED
80
Philosopher's pursuit : TRUTH
82
Exam with an argumentative writing section, in brief : LSAT
83
"You know, I can't quite remember" : ITSABLUR
84
"Oh geez, the answer was staring me in the face!" : IMAMORON
86
Goes through screen after screen : SCROLLS
88
"Sadly …" : ALAS
89
Special attention, for short : TLC
90
Made nice : DIDUP
91
Wading birds : AVOCETS
93
Publicly bash : HATEON
96
Doldrums : BLAHS
97
Lumberjacks' competition : ROLEO
98
Walk around, maybe : AVOID
99
Where one might pick up litter : PETCO
101
Oozes : SEEPS
104
Burgle : LOOT
106
About : ASTO
107
West Point inst. : USMA
108
Fanfare : POMP
111
Like a diamond in a ring : SET
112
Queer identity, in brief : ARO
113
12/31 : NYE

Answer summary:
12 unique to this puzzle.

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