This web browser is not supported. Use Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Firefox for best results.

Going for a Spin

New York Times, Sunday, August 2, 2026

Author:
Ralph Sharaga and Doug Peterson
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
67-Across : "... and what about the leaky roof?"
TotalDebutCollabs
18/2/20261
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1000000
DebutFlowFresh
831.453%
Ralph Sharaga
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
612/20/20068/2/202639
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
8384313193
RebusScrabDebutFlowFresh
31.6228441.067%
Doug Peterson

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 76 Missing: {JZ} This is the debut puzzle for Mr. Sharaga. This is puzzle # 61 for Mr. Peterson. Grid flow: 31.4 Sunday freshness: 25%
Will Shortz notes:
Ralph Sharaga, of Belmont, Mass., is "a mostly retired comedy writer." New York Jets fans may know his name from the Jets podcast he and a couple of friends have been doing for 20 years. ... read more
1
B
2
I
3
C
4
S
5
A
6
R
7
I
8
T
9
A
10
G
11
S
12
C
13
A
14
R
15
P
16
S
17
M
E
N
U
18
T
I
E
R
19
W
R
A
P
20
A
L
E
R
T
21
S
22
O
F
F
R
23
O
A
D
V
E
24
H
I
C
L
E
25
R
E
V
E
R
E
26
T
O
L
L
F
R
E
E
27
A
T
H
L
E
28
T
E
S
29
F
E
N
30
T
R
U
S
T
31
R
32
A
M
S
33
A
D
O
S
34
B
E
A
D
35
S
E
X
36
T
37
A
38
R
S
U
S
39
N
E
W
S
40
H
O
C
K
S
41
M
I
S
S
E
D
42
E
T
R
E
43
A
R
T
S
44
L
45
O
46
W
E
M
I
S
S
I
47
O
48
N
S
49
S
L
50
A
T
E
51
O
R
A
T
E
S
52
N
E
E
53
D
54
R
E
D
55
A
56
C
57
T
58
V
A
N
E
S
59
S
60
C
61
A
M
P
62
I
63
M
64
A
C
S
65
N
O
R
66
E
N
T
S
67
B
U
C
K
E
T
68
S
E
A
T
S
69
N
O
D
E
70
I
G
O
71
F
A
R
S
I
72
U
P
S
E
T
73
F
E
I
G
N
74
T
E
N
75
D
O
N
76
N
77
A
N
A
78
I
R
O
N
E
D
79
R
I
S
80
E
81
S
82
K
E
Y
83
L
84
E
85
S
S
E
N
T
R
Y
86
T
87
H
I
S
88
V
I
89
S
A
90
O
V
U
L
E
S
91
Q
U
I
E
T
92
R
I
D
E
93
P
R
I
M
A
L
94
S
95
I
96
M
97
U
R
L
S
98
I
C
E
E
99
P
H
I
L
100
O
101
M
A
N
I
102
A
F
L
103
A
C
T
T
H
104
R
E
E
105
D
106
E
107
B
A
C
L
E
S
108
S
W
A
109
T
C
H
110
R
E
A
R
W
111
H
E
E
L
D
R
I
V
E
112
H
A
R
A
R
E
113
I
R
I
S
114
M
A
L
E
115
A
V
E
R
116
R
Y
D
E
R
117
P
E
L
E
118
S
D
S
U
119
E
A
R
© 2026, The New York Times8/2/26 ( No. 28,026 )
Across
1
Pen name : BIC
4
Garment whose name is a homophone for a board game : SARI
8
Keywords accompanying a YouTube video, say : TAGS
12
Bellyaches : CARPS
17
Listing of what's on tap : MENU
18
Story : TIER
19
It's right around the present : WRAP
20
Phone notifications : ALERTS
22
"For our ad, how should we list the car that we found in the ditch?" : OFFROADVEHICLE
25
Massachusetts city named for a colonial patriot : REVERE
26
Like phone numbers in infomercials : TOLLFREE
27
Team players : ATHLETES
29
Boggy place : FEN
30
Rightmost word on the front of a penny : TRUST
31
Their horns don't honk : RAMS
33
Kerfuffles : ADOS
34
Moccasin decoration : BEAD
35
"Physics is like ___: Sure, it may give some practical results, but that's not why we do it" (quote attributed to Richard Feynman) : SEX
36
Ankle part : TARSUS
39
"... and how do we add that it was just struck by lightning?" : NEWSHOCKS
41
"You will be ___" : MISSED
42
What's to be with Québec? : ETRE
43
Focus of many a small private college : ARTS
44
"... and that the tailpipe is dragging on the ground?" : LOWEMISSIONS
49
19th-century school item : SLATE
51
Emulates Cicero : ORATES
52
Food or water : NEED
54
Cover with a black rectangle, say : REDACT
58
Useful pointers? : VANES
59
Rascal : SCAMP
62
Tech models since 1998 : IMACS
65
Country with the all-time greatest number of medals at the Winter Olympics: Abbr. : NOR
66
Quickbeam and Leaflock, in fantasy : ENTS
67
"... and what about the leaky roof?" : BUCKETSEATS
69
Point of intersection : NODE
70
"Here ___!" : IGO
71
Mideast language : FARSI
72
Surprising result : UPSET
73
Pretend : FEIGN
74
Achilles, e.g. : TENDON
76
Family nickname comparable to the Yiddish "bubbe" : NANA
78
Smooth, now : IRONED
79
Gains prominence : RISES
82
"... and the broken door locks?" : KEYLESSENTRY
86
"___ just in ..." : THIS
88
Big name in plastic : VISA
90
Rudimentary seeds : OVULES
91
"... and the defective speaker system?" : QUIETRIDE
93
Rudimentary : PRIMAL
94
Calling card, for short? : SIM
97
Safari destinations? : URLS
98
Drink in a red, white and blue cup : ICEE
99
Donahue on TV Guide's list of "50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time" : PHIL
100
Yemeni neighbor : OMANI
102
Old gridiron org. for the Boston Patriots : AFL
103
End of "Our Town" or "A Doll's House" : ACTTHREE
105
Spectacular flops : DEBACLES
108
Upholsterer's sample : SWATCH
110
"... and finally, the missing front tires?" : REARWHEELDRIVE
112
Capital of Zimbabwe : HARARE
113
Pupil's surroundings : IRIS
114
Like toms and drakes : MALE
115
State as fact : AVER
116
U-Haul alternative : RYDER
117
Legend who occasionally used his head to achieve greatness : PELE
118
SoCal sch. : SDSU
119
Pink part of a Mr. Potato Head set : EAR
Down
1
Caption below the first of two photos : BEFORE
2
Opposite of exodus : INFLUX
3
Dumbbell exercises : CURLS
4
Giant or dwarf : STAR
5
___-de-camp : AIDE
6
Backs out, say : REVERSES
7
Indignation : IRE
8
Ninnies : TWITS
9
What someone flat-footed lacks : ARCH
10
Like an honorable knight : GALLANT
11
They might be on one's radar : SPEEDERS
12
Pet : CARESS
13
Porters, for example : ALES
14
Race prior to a race? : REV
15
Fifth-year student leader at Hogwarts : PREFECT
16
Barely runs? : STREAKS
17
Fruit snack brand : MOTTS
21
Excites : SENDS
23
Again and again, in verse : OFTTIMES
24
Over-the-top performers : HAMS
28
Item on a rack : TOWEL
32
Mercedes alternative : AUDI
34
Idly doodling, maybe : BORED
37
How the car in this puzzle's theme would be sold : ASIS
38
Blog feed letters : RSS
40
Disrelishes and then some : HATES
41
Hands (out) : METES
42
Linguistic suffix : ESE
44
"Fabulous!" : LOVEIT
45
It has a rind but supposedly no rhyme : ORANGE
46
Deliberately malicious : WANTON
47
Opposite of "You'll pay for that!"? : ONME
48
God who aids the Trojan fleet in the first book of the "Aeneid" : NEPTUNE
50
Long stories have them : ARCS
53
Runs out of gas : DIES
55
Divinely elect : ANOINT
56
Old yeller? : CODGER
57
Faddish : TRENDY
59
California's Big ___ : SUR
60
Keeps in the loop, electronically : CCS
61
Similar (to) : AKIN
63
Pioneering astronaut Jemison : MAE
64
"The Good Wife" figure: Abbr. : ATT
67
Declares off limits : BANS
68
Fix a litter problem? : SPAY
69
Show signs : NEONS
71
Palm off (on) : FOIST
73
Mooch : FREELOAD
75
Hangs on a clothesline : DRIES
77
Isis Naija Gaston, ___ Ice Spice : AKA
78
Madonna's "La ___ Bonita" : ISLA
80
Kick out : EVICT
81
Planned detour : SIDETRIP
83
"Shark Tank" shark Greiner : LORI
84
Horror franchise that includes 1992's "Army of Darkness" : EVILDEAD
85
It all adds up to this : SUM
86
"West Side Story" conflict : TURFWAR
87
Edmund who wrote "View From the Summit" : HILLARY
89
"Now, wait just one minute!" : SEEHERE
91
Suppress : QUASH
92
Like cheesecake vis-à-vis sponge cake : RICHER
93
"That was a close one!" : PHEW
94
What wets the appetite? : SALIVA
95
"The idea!" : INEVER
96
Penny pincher : MISER
99
Intrinsically : PERSE
101
Jazz singer Carmen : MCRAE
103
Part of a plot, at times : ACRE
104
The third one is dangerous : RAIL
106
Once-common fish in the Thames : EELS
107
Veal cordon ___ : BLEU
109
Smidgen : TAD
111
Inits. at sea : HMS

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

Log in or purchase a subscription to view an analysis of this puzzle.

Found bugs or have suggestions? Please let us know.

Like this puzzle? Please share this page on social media to help spread the word about XWord Info. Thanks!

XWord Info Home
XWord Info © 2007-2026, Jim Horne
57 ms