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A SHOT IN THE DARK

New York Times, Sunday, May 16, 2021

Author:
Joe DiPietro
Editor:
Will Shortz
83-Down : Coffin frames
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
1398/26/19954/30/20221
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
301092343303
RebusCircleScrabblePOW
331.591
Joe DiPietro

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 82 Missing: {JKQ} Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 136 for Mr. DiPietro.
Jeff Chen notes:
Literal SHOTs IN THE DARK = words that can precede SHOT, placed into black squares. We've fixed up all the answers (see the grid below), so hopefully, it's clear. Theme answers: BETTER ... read more
Jim Horne notes:
If you can't solve today's puzzle without thinking of this song, you're officially a Hamilnerd: ... read more
1
B
2
R
3
A
4
H
5
E
6
G
7
G
8
O
9
M
10
E
11
R
12
L
13
E
14
A
15
P
16
S
17
O
18
L
A
M
E
19
T
R
O
N
20
P
A
E
A
N
21
C
R
U
M
22
P
23
U
N
E
D
24
U
C
A
T
E
25
D
G
U
E
S
S
26
T
A
P
E
R
27
R
U
N
G
S
28
N
O
L
O
29
V
E
E
30
S
I
E
G
E
31
P
S
E
U
32
D
O
33
B
E
34
T
35
T
E
R
M
36
O
U
R
A
P
38
T
R
A
L
39
A
40
R
B
I
41
B
I
P
O
D
43
H
44
A
45
I
P
L
A
N
47
T
48
A
P
49
P
50
A
L
L
51
G
U
52
M
53
P
54
A
T
O
M
S
56
T
H
57
E
58
T
O
N
E
59
B
O
P
I
T
60
M
I
T
E
61
G
O
O
D
62
S
O
R
T
63
S
E
D
E
R
S
64
S
T
A
R
65
G
E
N
U
I
N
T
I
67
C
L
E
68
R
E
D
69
S
70
P
A
N
71
S
A
O
73
B
U
R
74
N
75
I
76
S
77
M
78
S
I
L
79
I
80
C
R
U
82
B
83
B
E
R
84
I
85
B
86
A
87
R
88
M
A
I
89
L
I
N
90
C
A
F
E
N
O
I
R
92
N
O
N
O
93
A
U
R
A
S
94
C
O
I
F
95
D
O
E
96
T
E
X
T
S
97
C
L
A
P
98
P
A
N
N
E
99
D
100
P
R
101
I
102
V
A
Y
E
S
104
C
O
105
O
E
D
106
C
U
107
E
108
S
T
E
R
N
110
S
111
E
L
B
R
I
113
C
114
A
T
I
N
115
G
116
S
T
I
F
117
F
118
S
119
A
L
E
X
A
121
L
O
T
122
Z
O
123
N
A
124
F
I
L
T
125
H
126
A
L
B
U
M
127
L
A
S
128
T
129
D
I
T
C
H
130
E
F
F
O
R
T
131
B
E
R
R
A
132
A
T
E
A
M
133
M
A
I
M
134
T
R
A
M
135
N
A
Y
S
136
C
I
A
O
S
137
E
A
T
S
138
Y
A
W
L
© 2021, The New York Times5/16/21 ( No. 26,122 )
Across
1
Dude, slangily : BRAH
5
Toaster Swirlz brand : EGGO
9
Country singer Haggard : MERLE
14
Lhasa ___ (dog breed) : APSO
18
Metallic fabric : LAME
19
"___: Legacy" (sci-fi sequel) : TRON
20
Hymn of joy : PAEAN
21
Loud thudding sound : CRUMP
23
Shot in the dark : UNEDUCATEDGUESS
26
Get to the point? : TAPER
27
Steps up? : RUNGS
28
Court plea, in brief : NOLO
29
Winner's sign : VEE
30
Alternative to a blitz : SIEGE
31
False start? : PSEUDO
33
Improved version of an existing product : BETTERMOUSETRAP
38
Skipping syllables? : TRALA
40
Reward for a big hit, say : RBI
41
Two-legged stand : BIPOD
43
Fix for a bald spot : HAIRIMPLANT
48
Shock : APPALL
51
Oscar-winning Hanks role of 1994 : GUMP
54
Tiny bits : ATOMS
56
By-way connection : THE
58
Voice mail prompt : TONE
59
Hasbro game requiring increasingly quick reflexes : BOPIT
60
Tiny bit : MITE
61
Mensch : GOODSORT
63
Meals with Haggadah readings : SEDERS
64
Award to wear : STAR
65
Real deal : GENUINEARTICLE
68
Like cabernet sauvignon : RED
69
Go over : SPAN
71
Start of many Portuguese place names : SAO
73
Be angry : BURN
75
Suffix with age : ISM
78
Highly resistant elastomer : SILICONERUBBER
84
Skyscraper support : IBAR
88
Like some ballots : MAILIN
90
Breakfast drink sans creamer : CAFENOIR
92
Ill-advised move : NONO
93
Intangible qualities : AURAS
94
Do : COIF
95
Anonymous surname : DOE
96
Causes of pocket buzzes : TEXTS
97
Loud, sharp sound : CLAP
98
Like Golden Raspberry-"winning" films : PANNED
100
Detectives : PRIVATEEYES
104
Whispered sweet nothings : COOED
106
It's a sign : CUE
108
Unsmiling : STERN
110
Like some roller chains and ball bearings : SELFLUBRICATING
116
Leaves zip for a tip : STIFFS
119
One given orders around the house : ALEXA
121
Tract of land : LOT
122
Nickname for the Wildcats of the Pac-12 : ZONA
124
Smut : FILTH
126
Collection on Facebook : ALBUM
127
Shot in the dark : LASTDITCHEFFORT
131
Three-time American League M.V.P. of the 1950s : BERRA
132
Varsity : ATEAM
133
Hurt badly : MAIM
134
Disneyland transport : TRAM
135
Bill blockers : NAYS
136
Ta-tas : CIAOS
137
Polishes off : EATS
138
Fore-and-aft-rigged sailboat with two masts : YAWL
Down
1
Photo mishap : BLUR
2
Amassed : RANUP
3
Congregational chorus : AMENS
4
Tools for landscapers : HEDGETRIMMERS
5
"You get the idea": Abbr. : ETC
6
Food found in some bars : GRANOLA
7
Most-often-used : GOTO
8
Net wt. of many pasta packages : ONELB
9
Sticker stat : MPG
10
It's water under le pont : EAU
11
Teller of the third tale in "The Canterbury Tales" : REEVE
12
Surgical tool : LASER
13
Like some casts : ENSEMBLE
14
Makes a scene : ACTSUP
15
"Hallelujah!" : PRAISETOGOD
16
Marvelous : SUPERDUPER
17
___-3 : OMEGA
22
Slice and dice, say : PREP
24
Takes over (from) : USURPS
25
More than just a talker : DOER
32
Indian lentil dish : DAL
34
"No info yet," on a schedule : TBA
35
Carefully avoid : TIPTOEAROUND
36
Heating option : OIL
39
Composer Bruckner : ANTON
43
Unlikely Oscar winners : HAMS
44
Fighting : ATIT
45
Tiny bit : IOTA
47
G : THOU
49
Opening for a computer technician? : PORT
50
Pro fighter? : ANTI
52
Swampy stretch : MIRE
53
V.A. concern, for short : PTSD
57
Phenomenon by which electrons radiate from a heated filament, so named for a famous observer : EDISONEFFECT
59
"You can't be a real country unless you have a ___ and an airline": Frank Zappa : BEER
61
Mil. leader : GENL
62
Catch : SNARE
63
Arc on a music score : SLUR
65
Investment goal : GAIN
67
Trucker on a radio : CBER
70
Pitchfork-shaped letters : PSIS
74
When the first "Peanuts" comic appeared : NINETEENFIFTY
75
Apple on the teacher's desk? : IMAC
76
Literature Nobelist Bellow : SAUL
77
Innovation in push-ups : MIRACLEBRA
79
It can represent a folder : ICON
80
First offer? : CAIN
82
"I touched your nose!" sound : BOOP
83
Coffin frames : BIERS
85
Squarish : BOXY
86
A jokester might say "And the pot thickens" after one : ANTE
87
One of the friends on "Friends" : ROSS
89
Very easy living : LAPOFLUXURY
94
French explorer who founded Detroit : CADILLAC
96
Duty : TARIFF
98
According to : PER
99
Bad P.R. for a celeb, maybe : DUI
101
Baseball announcer's cry : ITSAHIT
102
One doing a Spot check? : VET
105
Whom the Secret Service dubbed Renegade and Renaissance : OBAMAS
107
Mike who served as a Wyoming senator from 1997 to 2021 : ENZI
110
Longtime Swedish automaker : SAAB
111
___ Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first elected female head of state : ELLEN
113
Mammal found in the Andean cloud forest : COATI
114
Utterly lost : ATSEA
115
"I'm baffled" : GOTME
117
Botanist's study : FLORA
118
A sucker for milkshakes, say : STRAW
123
ESPNU covers its games : NCAA
125
Web file format, for short : HTML
128
The natural order of the universe : TAO
129
Chats over Twitter, briefly : DMS
130
Grp. mobilized by a 911 call : EMS

Answer summary: 11 unique to this puzzle, 1 unique to Shortz Era but used previously.

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