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New York Times, Monday, September 21, 2026

Author:
Alexander Liebeskind
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Deliberately give instruction in a way that targets an exam
TotalDebutLatest
812/9/20219/21/2026
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0500300
RebusCircleScrabFlowFresh
221.5239.419%
Alexander Liebeskind

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 76, Blocks: 36 Missing: {JQYZ} Spans: 2 This is puzzle # 8 for Mr. Liebeskind. Grid flow: 29.8 Monday freshness: 25%
Jim Horne notes:
Alexander found four excellent four-word phrases where each word starts with T. That's tricky to do with a simple search. A OneLook ... read more
1
A
2
S
3
I
4
A
5
W
6
I
7
M
8
P
9
P
10
A
11
G
12
E
13
S
14
D
A
M
N
15
A
C
A
I
16
A
T
A
R
I
17
T
O
O
T
18
I
R
E
D
T
19
O
T
H
I
N
K
20
N
A
M
21
A
C
L
22
L
U
S
H
23
T
24
E
A
C
H
25
T
26
O
T
H
E
27
T
E
S
T
28
R
A
D
I
O
A
D
29
S
A
T
30
A
V
I
D
31
C
O
32
M
33
B
34
R
E
35
N
36
E
37
W
38
D
E
E
39
F
O
R
T
I
40
E
S
41
A
G
E
42
E
S
T
43
E
R
44
S
A
R
I
45
C
T
R
L
46
X
E
47
S
48
C
R
49
E
A
T
E
S
50
T
51
O
T
E
L
52
L
53
T
H
E
T
R
U
T
H
54
S
E
A
R
55
O
E
R
56
A
P
R
57
T
A
K
E
58
S
T
W
O
59
T
60
O
T
A
N
61
G
62
O
63
U
S
E
M
E
64
I
P
A
D
65
R
E
E
D
66
N
E
N
E
S
67
S
E
N
D
68
T
R
E
E
© 2026, The New York Times9/21/26 ( No. 28,076 )
Across
1
Where Mongolia is : ASIA
5
Scaredy-cat : WIMP
9
Leafs (through) : PAGES
14
Album for which Kendrick Lamar won a Pulitzer Prize : DAMN
15
Berry at a smoothie shop : ACAI
16
Company behind the game Pong : ATARI
17
Mentally pooped : TOOTIREDTOTHINK
20
1960s service site, informally : NAM
21
Common injury site for a basketball player, informally : ACL
22
Thick, as plant growth : LUSH
23
Deliberately give instruction in a way that targets an exam : TEACHTOTHETEST
28
Commercial that may come with a jingle : RADIOAD
29
Took a chair : SAT
30
Eager : AVID
31
Hair parter : COMB
34
Continue a subscription : RENEW
38
Barely passing grade : DEE
39
Decade of W.W. II ... or a homophonic hint to 17-, 23-, 50- and 57-Across : FORTIES
41
Around 18, typically, for a high school graduate : AGE
42
Sometimes-floral organic compound : ESTER
44
Draped Indian garment : SARI
45
___-X (computer command to cut text) : CTRL
46
Crosses (out) : XES
48
Conjures up, say : CREATES
50
"If I'm being honest ..." : TOTELLTHETRUTH
54
Cook, in a way, as ahi tuna : SEAR
55
Opposite of 'neath : OER
56
Fools' mo. : APR
57
"A fight requires more than one person" : TAKESTWOTOTANGO
63
"I'm available to help" : USEME
64
Modern note-taking aid : IPAD
65
Plant in a marsh : REED
66
Spanish babies : NENES
67
What a paper airplane icon may indicate : SEND
68
Thing in a grove : TREE
Down
1
Big letters in home security : ADT
2
___ Paulo, Brazil : SAO
3
Comment that might follow "None for me, thanks" : IMONADIET
4
Relief for an upset stomach : ANTACID
5
Simple two-player card game : WAR
6
Drink cooler : ICE
7
Angry with : MADAT
8
Throw from a mound : PITCH
9
Butter square : PAT
10
Any Olympian : ATHLETE
11
First name of Julius Caesar : GAIUS
12
Artist Max : ERNST
13
Worshiper in a turban : SIKH
18
Texter's qualifier : IMHO
19
Cries in a fútbol stadium : OLES
23
Barter : TRADE
24
Roof overhangs : EAVES
25
It may have a hard or soft shell : TACO
26
Things indicated by squiggly lines in cartoons : ODORS
27
Paves the way? : TARS
32
N.Y.C. subway letters : MTA
33
Hardwood whose bark is sometimes used as paper : BIRCH
35
Leader of an 1831 revolt against slavery : NATTURNER
36
Spearfishing bird : EGRET
37
People of SW Britain : WELSH
39
Without charge : FREE
40
The Emerald Isle : EIRE
43
Like skydiving or cliff-diving : EXTREME
45
Dashboard or bumper : CARPART
47
Place to put a coin : SLOT
49
Coup d'___ : ETAT
50
Joke with : TEASE
51
Like some wine barrels : OAKEN
52
___ and Clark : LEWIS
53
Familiar narrative device : TROPE
54
Leave dumbfounded : STUN
58
French possessive : SES
59
Catch some rays : TAN
60
Bizarre : ODD
61
"Golly!" : GEE
62
Poetic tribute : ODE

Answer summary:
2 unique to this puzzle.

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