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

Rise to the Power

New York Times, Sunday, September 20, 2026

Author:
Tracy Gray
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
59-Down : Arriving by
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
389/8/20109/20/202610
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
13547711
RebusCircleScrabFlowFresh
871.6230.249%
Tracy Gray

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 77 Missing: {JQ} This is puzzle # 38 for Ms. Gray. Grid flow: 28.6 Sunday freshness: 20%
Will Shortz notes:
Tracy Gray, of Hunt Valley, Md., owned and ran a lawn and landscaping business with her husband for more than 30 years. Now retired, she's been playing a lot of Rummikub with friends. This ... read more
Jim Horne notes:
I've colored the theme answers which, raised to the exponent above them, result in common phrases. Remember, any non-zero number raised to the zeroth power is 1. Calculation Result 2⁴ = 16 ... read more
1
C
2
U
3
S
4
T
5
O
6
M
7
A
8
R
9
C
10
S
11
L
12
A
13
P
14
T
15
I
16
M
17
E
18
A
N
T
O
N
I
19
O
20
L
O
O
P
21
C
O
L
L
A
T
E
S
22
T
A
R
N
I
S
H
23
F
O
U
R
24
A
S
P
E
R
S
E
S
25
S
W
E
E
T
T
W
26
O
27
S
P
O
28
U
T
S
29
N
A
F
T
A
30
P
E
A
T
31
S
O
O
32
T
33
L
U
G
E
34
T
W
O
35
A
D
M
A
36
N
37
W
H
O
38
L
E
T
H
R
39
E
40
E
Y
A
R
41
D
42
S
43
G
O
44
D
45
S
P
Y
46
E
D
A
M
47
T
O
O
48
H
49
O
50
T
S
H
O
51
T
52
F
E
53
S
54
S
55
R
I
C
O
56
C
H
E
T
57
E
R
A
58
O
N
E
59
I
L
60
P
P
61
P
62
T
H
R
E
E
63
Y
A
K
64
W
H
E
N
I
65
M
F
O
U
66
R
67
E
L
B
68
A
69
L
E
70
D
71
O
S
A
G
E
72
O
T
O
73
E
74
S
75
S
I
X
76
B
A
U
77
M
78
T
H
A
79
N
K
S
A
T
E
80
N
81
R
O
82
B
83
R
E
A
84
L
85
M
86
T
R
Y
87
A
M
A
T
I
88
D
N
A
89
R
90
E
A
L
N
E
A
91
T
92
A
C
93
T
S
94
L
A
G
95
A
S
S
E
96
A
L
I
97
Z
E
R
O
98
A
I
99
R
100
T
H
E
101
N
I
N
102
E
A
R
M
E
103
D
104
B
105
A
N
D
I
106
T
107
T
R
108
A
109
D
110
E
111
C
A
N
112
P
E
R
P
113
E
P
E
114
E
115
O
V
E
N
116
L
117
A
H
T
I
118
M
A
L
I
C
119
E
120
E
X
P
121
O
N
E
N
T
122
O
V
E
R
L
123
O
A
D
124
B
A
S
125
E
126
A
S
S
A
N
T
E
127
L
O
C
A
L
A
D
S
128
E
L
A
N
129
N
O
S
U
G
A
R
130
A
W
K
W
A
R
D
131
S
C
U
D
132
M
O
T
E
L
S
© 2026, The New York Times9/20/26 ( No. 28,075 )
Across
1
Special-ordered : CUSTOM
7
Sections of a circle's circumference : ARCS
11
NASCAR stat that varies widely by venue : LAPTIME
18
Banderas of 2024's "Babygirl" : ANTONIO
20
Coaster feature, maybe : LOOP
21
Assembles in proper order : COLLATES
22
Mar, as a reputation : TARNISH
23
See 25-Across : FOUR
24
Maligns : ASPERSES
25
With 23-Across, March Madness tournament round : SWEETTWO
27
Mouths (off) : SPOUTS
29
Pact that preceded the U.S.M.C.A. : NAFTA
30
Burnable bog stuff : PEAT
31
Burnt chimney stuff : SOOT
33
High-speed Olympic sport : LUGE
34
See 37-Across : TWO
35
One who might have perfect pitch? : ADMAN
37
With 34-Across, full extent of something : WHOLETHREEYARDS
43
"Holy moly!" : GOD
45
Defensive player who keeps an eye on the QB, in football lingo : SPY
46
Red-coated cheese : EDAM
47
"___ funny!" : TOO
48
Bigwig : HOTSHOT
52
Own (up) : FESS
55
It's off the wall! : RICOCHET
57
"Red" or "1989," to Swifties : ERA
58
Buck ___, first African American coach in Major League Baseball : ONEIL
60
Extremely soft, in music: Abbr. : PPP
62
See 64-Across : THREE
63
Chew the fat : YAK
64
With 62-Across, Beatles classic with the lyric "Will you still need me / Will you still feed me" : WHENIMFOUR
67
Noted exile isle : ELBA
69
Energy-efficient bulb, for short : LED
71
___ orange, tree whose fruit has a brainlike appearance : OSAGE
72
Native Nebraskans : OTOES
75
See 78-Across : SIX
76
Author who purportedly drew inspiration from a filing cabinet labeled "O-Z" : BAUM
78
With 75-Across, "So very appreciated!" : THANKSATEN
81
Hold up : ROB
83
Narnia or Neverland : REALM
86
Give it a whirl : TRY
87
Violinmaker of Cremona : AMATI
88
Letters from your folks? : DNA
89
"So cool!" : REALNEAT
92
Follower of John in the New Testament : ACTS
94
Chef with "New New Orleans"-style cooking : LAGASSE
96
Greatest guy? : ALI
97
See 101-Across : ZERO
98
Vent : AIR
100
Part of SCOTUS : THE
101
With 97-Across, Vegas casino machine : NINEARMEDBANDIT
107
No-cash deal : TRADE
111
Lay off : CAN
112
Culprit, in police lingo : PERP
113
Modern pentathlon equipment : EPEE
115
Metaphor for a too-hot room : OVEN
116
Actress Christine whose last name sounds like a pair of musical notes : LAHTI
118
Ill will : MALICE
120
Number written above and to the right of another number ... as seen five times in this puzzle? : EXPONENT
122
Weigh down, and then some : OVERLOAD
124
Number with a 120-Across, mathematically : BASE
126
Armand of "American Gangster" : ASSANTE
127
Many mailbox stuffers : LOCALADS
128
Zest : ELAN
129
Iced tea request : NOSUGAR
130
Clumsy : AWKWARD
131
Move fast, as a cloud : SCUD
132
Road trip stopovers : MOTELS
Down
1
Pampering place for a Persian : CATSPA
2
Not impressed : UNAWED
3
Watch via Hulu, say : STREAM
4
Online forum qualifiers such as /j ("joking") or /s ("sarcastic") : TONETAGS
5
"I'll deal with this right now!" : ONIT
6
Keeps hydrated, as vegetables in the produce aisle : MISTS
7
Sitcom character from Melmac : ALF
8
Aussie animals : ROOS
9
Item : COUPLE
10
Alfalfa shoot : SPROUT
11
Stockholder's setback : LOSS
12
Weisshorn or Finsteraarhorn : ALP
13
Not merely enough to go around : PLENTYMORE
14
Island containing Kiribati's capital : TARAWA
15
"Don't pay any mind to this" : ITSFORTHEBIRDS
16
Zoom, e.g. : MEET
17
Feminine pronoun in Florence : ESSA
19
"Would you look at that!" : OHWOW
21
Wedding reception hiree : CATERER
26
Partner of aahs : OOHS
28
"So-o-o gross!" : UGH
32
A-one : TOPFLIGHT
36
With nary a chance : NOHOW
38
Ingredient in some hair relaxers : LYE
39
Make a long story short, say : EDIT
40
Individually : EACH
41
Female rabbit : DOE
42
Elbow-bender : SOT
44
Popular singer of the Hawaiian folk song "Pearly Shells" : DONHO
48
"Sup!" : HEY
49
Sonicare competitor : ORALB
50
Reschedule, so to speak : TAKEARAINCHECK
51
Things that drivers sometimes leave behind? : TEES
53
Letters on a lip balm tube : SPF
54
Scare stiff : SPOOK
56
Some old Disney collectibles : CELS
59
Arriving by : INAT
61
Tables : PUTSASIDE
65
Stiller's comedic partner : MEARA
66
Incur a cellphone surcharge, perhaps : ROAM
68
Electrical impulse transmitters : AXONS
70
Face off : DUEL
73
Catchall abbr. : ETAL
74
Priced to be, as bail : SETAT
77
Fortified wine from Spain : MANZANILLA
79
Home of NoHo and SoHo : NYC
80
"Catch ya in the morn!" : NIGHT
82
Main squeeze, in newer slang : BAE
84
Lascivious look : LEER
85
Old-timey teacher : MARM
89
Sped or bled ... or led : RAN
90
___ Lilly (Mounjaro maker) : ELI
91
Pointe shoe accessories : TOEPADS
93
Amy who wrote "Saving Fish From Drowning" : TAN
95
Balloon pilot, say : AERONAUT
99
Worth a pick? : RIPE
102
Stick to simple and unprocessed foods, say : EATRAW
103
State with only three counties: Abbr. : DEL
104
Illegal offerings : BRIBES
105
High-level H.S. class with derivatives : APCALC
106
Star football player? : TEXAN
108
Get even for : AVENGE
109
Kind of insurance for bridges : DENTAL
110
Types in : ENTERS
114
Surrey's Derby town : EPSOM
116
Singer/dancer/actress Falana : LOLA
117
Say for sure : AVOW
118
Org. supporting sobriety checkpoints : MADD
119
Father of five sons in the Bible : ESAU
121
___ buco : OSSO
123
Adornment on a boathouse wall : OAR
125
Heel, e.g. : END

Answer summary:
9 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
27 ms