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New York Times, Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Author:
John Kugelman and Lance Enfinger
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
32-Down : Got it all off his chest?
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
237/30/20238/26/20267
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
16101500
RebusCircleScrabFlowFresh
131.5941.559%
John Kugelman
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
67/30/20228/26/20264
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
2011101
CircleScrabFlowFresh
11.6144.251%
Lance Enfinger

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 76, Blocks: 40 Missing: {QXZ} This is puzzle # 23 for Mr. Kugelman. This is puzzle # 6 for Mr. Enfinger. Grid flow: 29.1 Wednesday freshness: 21%
Jim Horne notes:
Each themer is built entirely from a string of first names. Entry Names BEAUTY MARK BEAU + TY + MARK EDUMACATE ED + UMA + CATE SALTED ... read more
1
R
2
A
3
G
4
E
5
M
6
A
7
G
8
M
9
A
10
M
11
O
12
P
13
E
14
A
H
E
M
15
A
T
L
A
S
16
A
V
O
N
17
B
E
A
U
18
T
Y
M
A
R
K
19
R
E
N
D
20
B
A
R
21
R
A
F
A
22
W
A
R
Y
23
I
D
S
24
A
Y
25
E
D
26
U
27
M
A
C
A
T
28
E
29
N
O
30
S
E
31
C
A
R
A
C
A
S
32
M
A
U
I
33
A
L
T
34
T
I
P
35
S
A
L
T
E
36
D
C
A
R
37
A
38
M
E
L
39
H
A
N
40
S
E
E
41
O
V
I
D
42
M
R
S
43
L
44
A
T
E
45
C
N
E
T
46
M
A
C
A
D
A
M
47
I
A
48
R
E
49
A
50
M
51
S
52
J
A
B
S
53
A
M
54
O
S
55
P
E
W
56
R
E
P
O
57
S
58
O
M
E
P
E
59
O
P
L
E
60
E
V
E
R
61
A
R
B
O
R
62
F
L
E
A
63
P
O
D
S
64
M
E
S
S
Y
65
F
E
E
T
© 2026, The New York Times8/26/26 ( No. 28,050 )
Across
1
Modern lead-in to quit or bait : RAGE
5
Heat source for many hydrothermal vents : MAGMA
10
Act all teenagerly, say : MOPE
14
[I have something to say ...] : AHEM
15
He has the weight of the world on his shoulders : ATLAS
16
River by the Royal Shakespeare Theatre : AVON
17
Enhancing "blemish" (3x) : BEAUTYMARK
19
Rip apart : REND
20
Something to belly up to : BAR
21
Tennis's "King of Clay," familiarly : RAFA
22
Cautious : WARY
23
"My guess is ..." : IDSAY
25
Teach, playfully (3x) : EDUMACATE
29
Pinocchio's tell : NOSE
31
South American capital where Simón Bolívar was born : CARACAS
32
___ Wowie (cocktail with a rhyming name) : MAUI
33
PC key : ALT
34
Wait for it! : TIP
35
Sweet popcorn coating (4x) : SALTEDCARAMEL
39
Sci-fi pilot ___ Solo : HAN
40
Call, as a poker bet : SEE
41
Roman author of "Metamorphoses" : OVID
42
Fred Flintstone's boss at the rock quarry : MRSLATE
45
Tech review site : CNET
46
Nut in Sausalito cookies (3x) : MACADAMIA
48
Bundles in a stationery shop : REAMS
52
Pointed remarks : JABS
53
"Famous" cookie entrepreneur : AMOS
55
Church fixture : PEW
56
Black mark on a credit report, in brief : REPO
57
"Unbelievable!" ... or what 17-, 25-, 35- and 46-Across are made from, letter-wise? : SOMEPEOPLE
60
Never Have I ___ (party game) : EVER
61
April's ___ Day : ARBOR
62
Bug on a pug : FLEA
63
Alien incubators in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" : PODS
64
Acrimonious, as a breakup : MESSY
65
Units of verse : FEET
Down
1
Torah scholar : RABBI
2
Bridge Out ___ (sign) : AHEAD
3
They have teeth but don't bite : GEARS
4
Ground-dwelling bird in a eucalyptus forest : EMU
5
Chichén Itzá builders : MAYA
6
Taking charge? : ATMFEE
7
Happy-sounding advocacy grp. : GLAAD
8
Scuff up, say : MAR
9
Set, as a price : ASK
10
Instrument associated with beans and salsa? : MARACA
11
Was a ham : OVERACTED
12
Scrunchied hairstyle : PONYTAIL
13
"The ___" (final track listed on the original "Abbey Road") : END
18
Audition : TRYOUT
22
Word that can precede cry or baby : WAR
24
Picky, picky, picky : ANAL
26
Sch. attended by Steve Martin, James Dean and Jack Black (none of whom stayed to graduate) : UCLA
27
Housemother : MATRON
28
What cards with circles, stars, pluses, squares and wavy lines test for, in brief : ESP
30
Day break? : SIESTA
32
Got it all off his chest? : MANSCAPED
33
Disc golf "hole"-in-one : ACE
35
Capital city known as the "Jerusalem of the Balkans" : SARAJEVO
36
Consider : DEEM
37
Disinclined : AVERSE
38
Small bug with a strong-sounding name : MITE
39
"Well, let me think" : HMM
43
Herculean tasks : LABORS
44
Almost a quarter of the Super Bowl's run time : ADS
45
Sometimes-uncredited appearances : CAMEOS
47
da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, for example : IAMBS
49
Gift from a teacher's pet : APPLE
50
Free-for-all : MELEE
51
Result of a hot pursuit? : SWEAT
54
Grand Ole ___ : OPRY
56
One leg press, say : REP
57
Uncle ___ : SAM
58
Minecraft resource : ORE
59
Command to a jumpy dog : OFF

Answer summary:
3 unique to this puzzle.

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