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Tunnel Vision

New York Times, Sunday, July 13, 2025

Author:
Brandon Koppy
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Stop being buds?
TotalDebutLatest
2211/21/20187/13/2025
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
4108342
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
511.5814665%
Brandon Koppy

This puzzle:

Rows: 23, Columns: 23 Words: 164, Blocks: 101 Missing: {FJQXZ} This is puzzle # 22 for Mr. Koppy. Sunday freshness: 73%
Notepad: This puzzle comes with eight bonus clues. Find their answers to reveal an apt alternative for traversing the grid. 1. Show how it’s done 2. “Für Elise” composer 3. They can help with conflict resolution 4. Spy device in old cereal boxes 5. Bringing shame upon 6. Bass-heavy musical groups, maybe 7. Valedictorians have them 8. New bride, quaintly
Will Shortz notes:

Brandon Koppy, of Dripping Springs, Texas, is a performance director for an ad agency.

The big central wall of black squares splitting this puzzle's grid in two would usually be a crossword no-no, but there's a thematic reason for it here.

1
H
2
A
3
L
4
T
5
D
6
E
7
M
8
O
9
N
10
S
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R
12
A
13
T
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E
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W
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A
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I
18
T
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S
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O
T
O
E
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I
N
A
S
E
C
22
O
L
A
V
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E
R
D
O
C
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S
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L
E
A
N
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T
E
C
H
N
O
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T
I
L
E
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S
O
O
T
H
E
29
E
L
D
E
30
R
S
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B
E
E
T
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O
V
E
N
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T
U
S
H
I
E
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S
O
T
T
O
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L
E
A
S
T
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R
E
S
U
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M
E
S
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E
S
P
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I
C
I
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P
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E
A
T
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P
E
R
E
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O
M
S
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N
A
M
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E
L
P
H
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A
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B
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A
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U
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E
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Y
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N
O
D
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A
T
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L
E
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T
L
I
E
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G
O
B
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T
W
E
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E
N
S
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S
H
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E
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L
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H
A
D
L
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U
N
C
H
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T
E
A
M
O
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S
E
C
O
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S
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T
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B
E
D
E
69
D
E
C
O
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E
R
R
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N
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G
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E
R
H
U
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C
A
R
E
D
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N
O
S
I
R
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R
S
S
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I
M
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I
S
S
E
D
78
O
D
E
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E
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C
O
N
81
E
T
O
N
82
I
L
E
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U
P
A
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R
R
O
W
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C
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T
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A
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A
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D
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A
G
E
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R
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E
D
O
S
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R
O
K
U
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D
I
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S
H
O
N
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R
I
N
G
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R
E
S
E
N
T
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E
L
O
N
99
G
O
A
S
K
100
T
O
D
O
101
L
I
S
T
102
D
E
N
T
103
M
E
N
S
C
H
104
I
R
S
105
I
N
P
A
106
W
107
N
108
T
S
109
L
O
T
110
M
A
S
111
E
S
O
112
B
E
S
O
113
E
A
114
T
115
I
116
C
H
117
I
R
I
118
S
119
L
O
O
N
120
N
T
H
121
M
A
R
122
L
A
T
E
123
T
124
A
125
G
126
R
127
A
128
D
O
N
129
S
130
A
T
I
E
131
G
L
O
132
O
M
Y
133
A
A
V
E
134
A
G
E
S
135
B
E
L
L
O
W
136
U
V
U
L
A
E
137
R
B
I
S
138
I
L
L
S
139
U
E
140
T
I
N
A
141
R
E
G
I
M
E
142
C
O
A
T
143
T
O
C
O
M
E
144
O
V
A
L
145
S
H
O
A
L
146
H
O
N
E
147
T
W
O
M
A
N
148
S
E
L
L
© 2025, The New York Times7/13/25 ( No. 27,641 )
Across
1
Cry from a guard tower : HALT
5
Imaginary fiends : DEMONS
11
Assign a number, maybe : RATE
15
Takes orders at a restaurant : WAITS
20
Great Plains tribe : OTOE
21
"I'll be right with you" : INASEC
22
Name that becomes a shape if you switch the second and fourth letters : OLAV
23
They might leave you in stitches, for short : ERDOCS
25
Not marbled, say : LEAN
26
Electronic music genre : TECHNO
27
Pai gow game piece : TILE
28
Relieve : SOOTHE
29
They have seniority : ELDERS
31
Bit of red in a salad : BEET
32
What accepts all cookies? : OVEN
33
Bottom : TUSHIE
34
Under, on a score : SOTTO
35
___ of all : LEAST
36
They might be padded : RESUMES
38
Gift in the 2000 movie "The Gift" : ESP
39
Here, in Paris : ICI
40
Alternative fuel source : PEAT
42
___ Noël : PERE
43
Yoga sounds : OMS
44
'60s war zone : NAM
45
"Wicked" protagonist : ELPHABA
49
180 : UEY
52
Acknowledge silently : NODAT
54
Leave be : LETLIE
56
Big hunk : GOB
57
Many idol worshipers : TWEENS
59
Cartoonist Silverstein : SHEL
62
Took an hour off mid-day, say : HADLUNCH
64
Phrase cooed en español : TEAMO
65
Dry, as Spanish wine : SECO
66
Monk known as "The Father of English History" : STBEDE
69
Geometric art style, familiarly : DECO
70
Going wrong : ERRING
72
Two-stringed Chinese instrument : ERHU
73
Gave a hoot : CARED
74
Gentleman's disagreement? : NOSIR
75
Website feed inits. : RSS
76
Basketball shooter's lament : IMISSED
78
Flattering lines : ODE
79
Subj. for John Maynard Keynes : ECON
81
Alma mater for John Maynard Keynes : ETON
82
Dot in la mer : ILE
83
It lets you move north : UPARROW
85
Windy City commuting org. : CTA
88
"A picture is worth a thousand words," e.g. : ADAGE
91
Mulligans : REDOS
93
Big name in streaming : ROKU
94
Gossip about : DISHON
96
Champion's memento : RING
97
Hold a grudge against : RESENT
98
North Carolina university : ELON
99
"See if that's OK" : GOASK
100
Chore-o-graph? : TODOLIST
102
Significant start : DENT
103
Good person : MENSCH
104
Collectors' org. : IRS
105
Traded for cash : INPAWN
108
Letter-shaped opening : TSLOT
110
Postgrad degs. : MAS
111
1962 Paul Anka hit with the lyric "Kiss me mucho" : ESOBESO
113
Absorb, as a cost : EAT
115
"___ bin ein Berliner" : ICH
117
Goddess of the rainbow : IRIS
119
State bird of Minnesota : LOON
120
___ degree : NTH
121
Give bad marks : MAR
122
Reason for a successful steal, maybe : LATETAG
126
Unstable noble gas : RADON
129
French composer Erik : SATIE
131
Eeyore-esque : GLOOMY
133
Black dialect, in brief : AAVE
134
Seemingly forever : AGES
135
Roar : BELLOW
136
Soft palate appendages : UVULAE
137
Some M.L.B. highlights : RBIS
138
Litigious threat : ILLSUE
140
Daughter on "Bob's Burgers" : TINA
141
Group in charge : REGIME
142
Puffer or blazer : COAT
143
Still looming, say : TOCOME
144
Shape that becomes a name if you switch the second and fourth letters : OVAL
145
Wet bar? : SHOAL
146
Smooth with a whetstone : HONE
147
Like some bobsleighs : TWOMAN
148
Hawk : SELL
Down
1
With 114-Down, some neighborhood bars … or what connect eight pairs of answers in this puzzle? : HOLESIN
2
Shopped at a farmers' market, say : ATELOCAL
3
Concern for a web game developer : LOADTIME
4
Guiding principle : TENET
5
Morse ". . ." : DITS
6
Opposite of WSW : ENE
7
Play featuring a trio of witches : MACBETH
8
Actor ___ Jackson Jr. : OSHEA
9
State birds of Hawaii : NENES
10
Winfield ___, loser to Franklin Pierce for president in 1852 : SCOTT
11
Chopper spinner : ROTOR
12
Still in the game : ALIVE
13
Pranksters may have tall ones : TALES
14
Tie : EVENUP
15
Fictional land on "Game of Thrones" : WESTEROS
16
Got going : AROUSED
17
Wedding exchange : IDOS
18
See 68-Down : TOTHEOTHERSIDE
19
Deep split : SCHISM
24
Falls through the cracks, say : SEEPS
30
Strung rungs : ROPELADDER
35
Likely place for a hot mic : LAPEL
37
Certain religious pacifist : MENNONITE
41
Gloss over, linguistically : ELIDE
46
French film director Varda, whom Martin Scorsese once described as "one of the gods of cinema" : AGNES
47
Italian lawn game : BOCCI
48
Just hate : ABHOR
49
Downright : UTTER
50
Still-life vessels : EWERS
51
Quite a while : YEARS
53
Jacks and jennies : ASSES
55
The old you? : THEE
58
Bygone owner of Capitol Records : EMI
60
Tier : ECHELON
61
Like sperm whales, among all animals : LOUDEST
63
Slurpable noodle : UDON
66
Looked high and low in : SCOURED
67
Polliwog : TADPOLE
68
With 18-Down, classic 1967 song by a group whose name is a hint to solving the eight bonus clues (see note) : BREAKONTHROUGH
71
Biotech crop, in brief : GMO
74
"Ah, thanks for explaining" : NOWIGETIT
77
As an answer : INRESPONSE
80
Atlantic food fish : COD
81
Breakfast brand with a Thick & Fluffy variety : EGGO
84
Fruit-shaped candies : RUNTS
85
Wide rift : CHASM
86
Puccini opera set in Rome : TOSCA
87
Ancient symbols of life : ANKHS
88
Man's name that sounds like two consonants : ARTIE
89
Some luxury bags : DIORS
90
"Consequently ..." : ANDSO
92
___ noche (tonight, in Tijuana) : ESTA
95
One of 12 for Jacob : SON
97
Classic detergent brand : RINSO
101
Use for sleeping, say : LIEON
103
Stealthy aquatic hunter : MORAYEEL
106
Started broadcasting : WENTLIVE
107
Countrywide : NATIONAL
109
"Lip Gloss" rapper, 2007 : LILMAMA
112
Stop being buds? : BLOSSOM
114
See 1-Down : THEWALL
115
Hosting site with a gallery of memes : IMGUR
116
Jersey boys? : CALVES
118
Google action : SEARCH
123
Just not done : TABOO
124
Birdlike : AVIAN
125
Beau ___ : GESTE
126
Bonnie with 13 Grammys : RAITT
127
Beaming : AGLOW
128
AC___ (G.M. subsidiary) : DELCO
130
Some saxes : ALTOS
132
Grab bag : OLIO
135
"We've all ___ there" : BEEN
139
Thurman who played the bride in "Kill Bill" : UMA

Answer summary:
9 unique to this puzzle, 2 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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