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Down in the Valley

New York Times, Sunday, June 28, 2026

Author:
Rebecca Goldstein and Christina Iverson
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
2-Down : One acting on impulse?
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
2912/2/20216/28/202615
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
9334532
RebusCircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
241.6217038.843%
Rebecca Goldstein
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
427/30/20196/28/202632
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
128622471
RebusCircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
331.5923541.350%
Christina Iverson

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 22 Words: 145, Blocks: 78 Missing: {Z} Spans: 1 This is puzzle # 29 for Ms. Goldstein. This is puzzle # 42 for Ms. Iverson. Grid flow: 40.0 Sunday freshness: 23%
Will Shortz notes:
Rebecca Goldstein, of Albany, Calif., is a research scientist at Merck, developing cancer immunotherapies. Christina Iverson, of Ames, Iowa, is an associate puzzle editor at The Times. The idea for ... read more
Jim Horne notes:
Be LIKE a Valley Girl, and add "like" to phrases that match the clues. As if! ... read more
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R
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© 2026, The New York Times6/28/26 ( No. 27,991 )
Across
1
Counterpart of a rani : RAJAH
6
Milk source : TEAT
10
Water colors : AQUAS
15
Carpet on the forest floor : MOSS
19
Rust, e.g. : OXIDE
20
Score direction for some stringed instruments : ARCO
21
Crispy, say : BURNT
22
Intellectual gathering : SALON
23
Was an employee at IHOP, in Valleyspeak? : SOLDLIKEHOTCAKES
26
Director Kurosawa : AKIRA
27
"The Little Prince" author ___ de Saint-Exupéry : ANTOINE
28
Bit of travel info, for short : ETA
29
Dream stage : REM
30
Mentally nimble : CLEVER
31
Quick bite : NOSH
32
Fanned some Egyptian royalty, in Valleyspeak? : SHOOKLIKEALEAF
35
More likely to clap back : SASSIER
38
Designer who helped popularize the beatnik look, in brief : YSL
39
What Alaska is, among all the states : COLDEST
40
Remote button : VOL
41
Spec : DEET
43
Extra space : GAP
46
One of five Norwegian kings : OLAV
47
Did some birding, in Valleyspeak? : WATCHEDLIKEAHAWK
53
Grub : EATS
57
Architectural feature above a belfry : SPIRE
58
God who sacrificed an eye for wisdom : ODIN
59
Sharp-edged tool : AXE
60
"Oh, sure" : ILLBET
62
Supplies : STOCKS
65
Nowhere to be found : AWOL
67
Radio City Music Hall style, informally : DECO
69
Pop singer Rita : ORA
70
Hitchhiked with a hangnail, in Valleyspeak? : STUCKOUTLIKEASORETHUMB
75
"I've been ___!" : HAD
76
Mathematician John who won a Nobel in economic science in 1994 : NASH
77
Craving : ITCH
78
Listings in a bankruptcy filing : ASSETS
79
First state to implement a bottle deposit to fight littering : OREGON
81
Some pulpy drinks, for short : OJS
84
"Doctor Who" and "Doctor Foster" airer, with "the" : BEEB
86
Solemn words : OATHS
88
The official fuel of the N.H.L. in Canada : ESSO
89
Made some outfielder errors, in Valleyspeak? : DROPPEDLIKEFLIES
93
Cousin of a Tony : OBIE
96
"Ciao!" : BYE
97
Time to give up? : LENT
98
"It's Raining ___" (gay anthem) : MEN
99
"Oh, there's more ..." : ANDALSO
102
In the style of : ALA
105
Folded handout : LEAFLET
108
Prepared for some new pet fish, in Valleyspeak? : BUILTLIKEATANK
112
Fashion designer Emhoff : ELLA
113
Specialized vocabularies : ARGOTS
114
Govt. lawyers : DAS
115
Kyiv's country: Abbr. : UKR
116
Spanish "My God!" : DIOSMIO
120
State capital in the Treasure Valley : BOISE
121
Performed some witchcraft, in Valleyspeak? : WORKEDLIKEACHARM
124
Was mistaken : ERRED
125
Little redhead in a long-running Broadway show : ANNIE
126
Nobel laureate Wiesel : ELIE
127
Island where parts of "Jurassic Park" were filmed : KAUAI
128
Spot to plot : LAIR
129
Binary question type : YESNO
130
High-five, e.g. : SLAP
131
This won't last : STINT
Down
1
Santa ___, city that's home to the Charles M. Schulz Museum : ROSA
2
One acting on impulse? : AXON
3
Split from suddenly, in a way : JILT
4
Extras : ADDONS
5
Greek sun god : HELIOS
6
"Let this be a lesson!" : TAKEHEED
7
Shakespearean conjunction : ERE
8
Deep-seated desires : ACHES
9
Wide and uninhibited, as a grin : TOOTHY
10
Start of a song with the same tune as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" : ABC
11
Hadron component : QUARK
12
Iconic nerd of 1990s TV : URKEL
13
Needing iron supplements, say : ANEMIC
14
Lines on some grids: Abbr. : STS
15
Get even? : MAKELEVEL
16
Oily fruits : OLIVES
17
Irritated with : SOREAT
18
Wolf (down) : SNARF
22
Course in a Brazilian meal : SALADA
24
Word with job or track : INSIDE
25
New Mexico county or its seat : TAOS
30
Neuron, e.g. : CELL
33
Actress Kurylenko of "Quantum of Solace" : OLGA
34
Eccentric sort : KOOK
35
They shine during the day : SOAPSTARS
36
Great heights : ALTITUDES
37
Move, in Realtor-speak : RELO
40
Some microbuses, in brief : VWS
42
Relating to some forces on Earth : TIDAL
44
"I knew it!" : AHA
45
Peaceful period : PAX
48
Swamp critter : CROC
49
"Keep dreaming" : HECKNO
50
Smallest relative of an ostrich : KIWI
51
Kind of mushroom that comes in a bundle : ENOKI
52
"What can ___ to help?" : WEDO
54
"What took so long?!" : ABOUTTIME
55
Summary of a contract's details : TERMSHEET
56
Wild guess : STAB
60
Treats, in a way, as a swelling : ICES
61
So many : LOTSOF
63
Riddle in Zen Buddhism : KOAN
64
Pretty fishy : SUS
66
Leave alone : LETBE
68
One might be named for a king or queen : ERA
70
Pump, say : SHOE
71
God who rides in a chariot pulled by two goats : THOR
72
Got just right : ACED
73
Souvenir from the seashore : SHELL
74
Improve : HEAL
80
Competitor who has manners : GOODLOSER
82
"You had one ___!" : JOB
83
Washington, D.C.'s International ___ Museum : SPY
85
Jessica of "The Better Sister" : BIEL
87
W-2 requirement, in brief : SSN
89
Person from South Asia : DESI
90
Whisky flavorer : PEAT
91
Very involved (in) : KNEEDEEP
92
Catchall phrase from Latin : ETALIA
94
Stepped up to the plate : BATTED
95
Woes : ILLS
99
Awe-inspiring light show : AURORA
100
Sushi consisting of thin slices of fish over rice : NIGIRI
101
"Whew! Finished!" : OKDONE
103
Extol : LAUD
104
Joints shown by no-show socks : ANKLES
106
Gathers (together) : FLOCKS
107
Light into : LASHAT
108
Biblical tower locale : BABEL
109
Clears, as profit : EARNS
110
Welcome at the door : ASKIN
111
Something consumed by the ton by whales : KRILL
117
Home of the Road to Hana, whose 64-mile length contains more than 600 curves : MAUI
118
Modern-day Persia : IRAN
119
Neglect to include : OMIT
121
Route : WAY
122
Abbr. in a job posting : EEO
123
Carnival maker : KIA

Answer summary:
9 unique to this puzzle, 1 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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