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New York Times, Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Author:
Joel Woodford
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
It was you
TotalDebutLatest
48/28/20259/30/2026
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0101200
CircleScrabFlowFresh
11.6930.336%
Joel Woodford

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 72, Blocks: 34 Missing: {JQVZ} This is puzzle # 4 for Mr. Woodford. Grid flow: 38.7 Wednesday freshness: 93%
Jim Horne notes:

Joel Woodford turns five ordinary words into spoken instructions, with each answer naming something those instructions could apply to.

1
S
2
T
3
U
4
B
5
C
6
A
7
L
8
M
9
A
10
S
11
K
12
E
13
W
14
I
O
N
A
15
O
P
I
E
16
S
P
I
K
E
17
E
X
A
M
18
P
A
P
E
R
19
P
A
C
E
D
20
G
I
B
B
O
U
S
21
C
22
L
E
R
K
23
E
N
L
I
S
T
24
C
H
E
C
K
B
25
O
26
X
27
S
S
E
28
T
H
29
O
U
30
S
T
L
U
K
E
31
F
O
O
D
I
32
E
33
E
T
A
S
34
S
35
U
R
P
R
I
S
E
36
P
37
A
R
T
Y
38
D
U
N
E
39
N
I
N
E
R
S
40
I
L
L
E
41
S
42
T
43
N
Y
P
D
44
B
45
A
46
S
47
S
U
I
T
C
A
48
S
E
49
B
E
50
H
E
S
T
51
K
R
O
N
A
52
P
A
N
A
C
H
E
53
A
54
C
E
I
T
55
F
56
R
O
N
T
D
O
O
R
57
S
P
L
A
T
58
E
Y
E
D
59
T
O
R
E
60
S
L
Y
L
Y
61
S
E
T
S
62
O
L
E
O
© 2026, The New York Times9/30/26 ( No. 28,085 )
Across
1
Much-used pencil : STUB
5
Composed : CALM
9
A bit off : ASKEW
14
Isle that's the traditional burial site of Scottish kings : IONA
15
Mayberry kid on old TV : OPIE
16
Sharp increase : SPIKE
17
Market! : EXAMPAPER
19
Walked while fraught with worry, say : PACED
20
Like a moon that is not full but is more than half visible : GIBBOUS
21
Administrative role : CLERK
23
Sign up : ENLIST
24
Ticket! : CHECKBOX
27
Nottingham-to-London dir. : SSE
28
It was you : THOU
30
Attributed writer of the third Gospel : STLUKE
31
Culinary connoisseur : FOODIE
33
GPS's guesses : ETAS
34
Planet! : SURPRISEPARTY
38
Desert landform : DUNE
39
San Francisco team, informally : NINERS
40
Best and most awesome, in slang : ILLEST
43
Times Sq. squad : NYPD
44
Humanities degs. : BAS
47
Packet! : SUITCASE
49
Person's bidding : BEHEST
51
Need for a greedy Swede? : KRONA
52
Great flair : PANACHE
53
Nail a test : ACEIT
55
Locket! : FRONTDOOR
57
Pie-in-the-face sound : SPLAT
58
Sized up : EYED
59
Hightailed it : TORE
60
How a trickster might behave : SLYLY
61
Group in a gym routine : SETS
62
Margarine : OLEO
Down
1
Drawn-out attacks : SIEGES
2
Things to be cleansed from the body : TOXINS
3
Powerless : UNABLE
4
Movie with the record for the longest time between its release and the release of its sequel (63 years) : BAMBI
5
Writing partner : COAUTHOR
6
Many tech start-up ideas : APPS
7
Trust eroder : LIE
8
Some concert gear, informally : MERCH
9
Feature : ASPECT
10
They might get lit at a birthday celebration : SPARKLERS
11
Be super-successful, in slang : KICKBUTT
12
Scrape (by) : EKE
13
Give a ring, say : WED
18
Surgery recovery period, in brief : POSTOP
22
"___ Troyens" (five-hour French opera) : LES
24
Collection of dishes? : CUISINE
25
Up to snuff : OKAY
26
Treasure map markings : XES
29
God whose name has one "I," fittingly : ODIN
31
Offer from many a streaming service : FREETRIAL
32
Start of a counting rhyme : EENY
34
"Star Trek" helmsman : SULU
35
Doubtful : UNLIKELY
36
Musical promoters of school spirit : PEPBANDS
37
Impassioned : ARDENT
38
Insult : DIS
41
"Star Trek" engineer : SCOTTY
42
Trig function that can output every real number : TAN
44
"Don't freak out, dude" : BECOOL
45
Where landlubbers are at home : ASHORE
46
It often features panels with speakers : STEREO
48
Targets of some heists : SAFES
50
Was out of other options : HADTO
52
Word found at the start of "Poe, to name one" : POET
53
Burro : ASS
54
Rank below sgt. : CPL
56
Bread choice : RYE

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

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