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New York Times, Thursday, May 28, 2026

Author:
John Kugelman
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Long-handled gardening tool or immoral pleasure seeker, per contestant Ken Jennings on "Jeopardy!" (incorrectly)
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
207/30/20235/28/20265
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
15100400
CircleScrabFlowFresh
31.5742.862%
John Kugelman

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 70, Blocks: 35 Missing: {BJKQUZ} This is puzzle # 20 for Mr. Kugelman. Grid flow: 54.8 Thursday freshness: 61%
Jim Horne notes:

In common "X or Y" phrases, the first two words are combined to match the clues.

1
G
2
A
3
N
4
D
5
H
6
I
7
O
8
W
9
L
10
S
11
O
12
P
13
T
14
O
H
I
O
A
N
15
V
I
O
L
16
H
O
E
17
T
E
N
O
R
T
18
W
E
N
T
Y
19
N
I
X
20
O
M
A
R
21
A
A
R
G
H
22
S
O
S
A
23
M
24
E
C
C
A
25
A
26
S
T
R
O
S
27
P
A
S
T
O
R
28
P
R
E
S
E
N
T
29
M
I
T
T
30
M
A
I
N
31
A
P
E
32
S
E
N
S
A
33
T
34
E
35
R
O
S
36
S
S
E
A
37
A
N
A
38
D
E
L
39
T
40
E
L
O
N
41
F
A
C
42
T
O
R
F
I
43
C
44
T
I
O
N
45
E
G
O
I
S
T
46
P
A
R
S
E
47
W
E
L
L
48
I
49
N
T
R
O
50
E
51
A
52
R
53
P
54
O
R
A
55
M
A
Y
O
R
M
56
A
Y
N
O
T
57
R
I
D
58
A
R
S
E
59
P
L
E
A
T
S
60
D
E
A
61
D
Y
E
S
62
S
I
D
L
E
D
© 2026, The New York Times5/28/26 ( No. 27,960 )
Across
1
Surname of two Indian prime ministers : GANDHI
7
Fly-by-night types? : OWLS
11
Go (for) : OPT
14
Drew Carey, Halle Berry or Guy Fieri, originally : OHIOAN
15
Baroque instrument : VIOL
16
Long-handled gardening tool or immoral pleasure seeker, per contestant Ken Jennings on "Jeopardy!" (incorrectly) : HOE
17
Walking-around money for Pavarotti? : TENORTWENTY
19
Veto : NIX
20
Whistling stickup man on "The Wire" : OMAR
21
Cry of frustration : AARGH
22
McGwire's rival in 1990s M.L.B. : SOSA
23
Hajj destination : MECCA
25
Baseball team formerly known as the Colt .45s : ASTROS
27
Preacher's gift? : PASTORPRESENT
29
Fly catcher? : MITT
30
Kind of a drag? : MAIN
31
Parrot : APE
32
Perceptive : SENSATE
35
Icy passage to Antarctica's McMurdo Station : ROSSSEA
37
Get ___ (shine scholastically) : ANA
38
Muscle exercised with a shoulder press, familiarly : DELT
40
Billionaire Musk : ELON
41
5 and 8 go into 42, for example? : FACTORFICTION
45
Fan of "I" statements : EGOIST
46
Dissect with a diagram : PARSE
47
"___, actually ..." : WELL
48
Start of many first-year course names : INTRO
50
Lawman who got out of Dodge : EARP
54
60 minuti : ORA
55
Local leader is prohibited? : MAYORMAYNOT
57
Clear : RID
58
Bum around Europe : ARSE
59
Intentional creases : PLEATS
60
Org. targeting Walter White on "Breaking Bad" : DEA
61
Changes the locks? : DYES
62
Acted all crabby? : SIDLED
Down
1
Programming statement that can result in spaghetti code : GOTO
2
[Excuse me] : AHEM
3
Totenberg of public radio : NINA
4
People who get walked all over : DOORMATS
5
Bit of a laugh : HAR
6
Not separated : INTACT
7
Throwing style : OVERARM
8
Bit of a lark : WING
9
Lady-killer : LOTHARIO
10
Machiavellian, in a way : SLY
11
Answer to "Why's your report card in the trash?" : OHNOREASON
12
Written with venom : POISONPEN
13
Oil, they say : TEXASTEA
18
Birthplace of Dr Pepper : WACO
22
Fremont and Folsom in S.F., for two : STS
24
México's Tabasco, Jalisco and others : ESTADOS
26
Guardians of bushido tradition : SENSEIS
27
National drink of Puerto Rico : PINACOLADA
28
Two, for many a putt-putt hole : PAR
29
It's a zoo out there : MENAGERIE
32
Blue stop sign? : SAFEWORD
33
Third in order : TERTIARY
34
Resident of Rivendell, in Tolkien : ELF
36
Dark and sultry, like a femme fatale's gaze : SLOEEYED
39
Comes on little cat feet : TIPTOES
42
"___ death do us part" : TIL
43
Comedian Jimmy : CARR
44
Opposite of 39-Down : TROMPS
49
Where to look if you're looking for LUV (i.e., Southwest Airlines) : NYSE
51
Fussbudgety, say : ANAL
52
Mindless repetition : ROTE
53
Affliction for many first responders, in brief : PTSD
55
"Spy vs. Spy" magazine : MAD
56
Who said "I'm so mean I make medicine sick" : ALI

Answer summary:
4 unique to this puzzle.

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