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The Big Five-O

New York Times, Sunday, July 28, 2024

Author:
Paolo Pasco
Editor:
Joel Fagliano
Blog:
20-Across : Artist's diagram … or one of five for 114-Across?
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
277/17/201510/31/202410
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
5300379
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
341.6119375%
Paolo Pasco

This puzzle:

Rows: 19, Columns: 23 Words: 143, Blocks: 91 Missing: {QXZ} Grid has mirror symmetry. This is puzzle # 26 for Mr. Pasco. Sunday freshness: 44%
Joel Fagliano notes:
Paolo Pasco, of Brooklyn, is the Games editor for LinkedIn. He is the current national crossword champion after winning the 2024 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. In that competition, he solved a 21x21 ... read more
Paolo Pasco notes:

The sheet of paper in question (CANDIDE in the upper right is a reference to a past MGWCC solution; that brainstorming session also spawned this puzzle):

Me if the entry PRELIMS didn't exist:

1
B
2
R
3
A
4
I
5
N
6
C
7
U
8
R
9
N
10
E
11
G
12
E
13
V
14
L
15
Y
16
E
17
R
I
N
18
G
B
E
A
R
E
19
R
20
C
O
L
O
R
W
21
H
E
E
L
22
O
T
T
O
M
A
N
S
E
T
23
S
24
D
O
L
L
A
R
S
I
G
N
S
25
W
A
I
T
26
T
A
K
E
T
27
H
E
B
A
I
T
28
J
O
S
E
29
T
30
O
31
S
S
E
S
32
R
U
N
33
N
E
S
34
T
35
E
A
36
P
37
R
I
N
T
38
M
A
G
I
39
C
40
R
O
B
41
I
42
N
43
B
A
A
44
E
R
45
S
46
S
I
D
E
A
R
47
M
48
P
E
N
49
M
A
50
S
51
I
N
N
52
S
53
E
T
54
C
H
E
S
55
L
A
A
56
L
A
A
57
C
H
I
C
58
R
A
G
A
59
P
A
G
E
S
60
G
I
A
N
T
61
H
U
L
A
62
D
R
E
G
63
S
64
T
I
E
65
B
66
A
67
R
68
L
T
D
69
S
O
N
A
R
70
S
A
W
71
T
72
O
E
73
P
74
R
E
L
I
75
M
S
76
A
77
H
A
78
G
R
E
79
B
A
80
Y
O
U
81
O
L
I
V
E
82
A
L
83
E
R
T
84
R
E
N
T
85
F
86
U
E
L
C
E
L
87
L
88
S
89
I
S
A
Y
90
S
E
A
91
S
O
N
92
Y
E
R
93
O
V
94
U
L
A
R
95
G
96
N
97
A
W
98
C
A
R
D
99
S
100
H
O
U
S
E
101
C
102
A
103
S
104
T
105
S
I
L
E
106
N
T
B
107
A
108
I
109
S
110
L
E
111
A
D
112
V
A
N
C
E
113
P
E
T
C
O
114
O
115
L
116
Y
M
P
I
C
F
117
L
118
A
G
119
O
N
I
O
N
120
O
C
E
A
N
121
T
I
M
E
A
N
D
T
I
D
E
122
W
A
T
T
S
123
T
E
R
N
S
124
P
A
S
S
125
S
Y
N
E
126
S
L
A
T
E
© 2024, The New York Times7/28/24 ( No. 27,291 )
Across
1
Word following "push-up" that anagrams to a word following "pull-up" : BRA
4
Become subject to : INCUR
9
Israeli desert : NEGEV
14
Substance in a bagel-making "bath" : LYE
17
Wedding role … or a description of 114-Across? : RINGBEARER
20
Artist's diagram … or one of five for 114-Across? : COLORWHEEL
22
Multipiece furniture purchases : OTTOMANSETS
24
25
"Hold up!" : WAIT
26
Get hooked? : TAKETHEBAIT
28
___ Rizal, national hero of the Philippines : JOSE
29
Cornhole attempts : TOSSES
32
Compete like Sha'Carri Richardson : RUN
33
Snapple competitor : NESTEA
36
Detailed plan of action : BLUEPRINT
38
Malevolent sorcery : BLACKMAGIC
40
Restaurant chain with an avian mascot : REDROBIN
43
Lamb's lament : BAA
44
M.D. spaces : ERS
46
One way to throw a baseball : SIDEARM
48
Aptly named writers' association : PEN
49
"Uno ___!" : MAS
51
Resting places : INNS
53
Just scratches the surface? : ETCHES
55
Teletubby with a repetitive name : LAALAA
57
Very *now* : CHIC
58
Musical composition like the Gauri in Sikh tradition : RAGA
59
Obsolescent book : YELLOWPAGES
60
Brand in the frozen food section : GREENGIANT
61
Dance related to the Tongan tau'olunga : HULA
62
Worst of the worst : DREGS
64
Reason to award two gold medals : TIE
65
Cheers, for one : BAR
68
Letters after Lucasfilm : LTD
69
Aid in seafloor mapping : SONAR
70
Understood : SAW
71
Balance beam gripper : TOE
73
Round up at the start? : PRELIMS
76
"There it is!" : AHA
78
Prereq for a Ph.D. program, maybe : GRE
79
Signature hit for Linda Ronstadt : BLUEBAYOU
81
Supreme pizza topping : BLACKOLIVE
82
"Danger! Danger!" : REDALERT
84
Number for a letter? : RENT
85
Power sources for some electric cars : FUELCELLS
89
"Goodness me!" : ISAY
90
Spice up, say : SEASON
92
"___ out!" : YER
93
Concerning egg cells : OVULAR
95
Bother, with "at" : GNAW
98
Results of some fouls in soccer : YELLOWCARDS
100
What has a lot of room to grow? : GREENHOUSE
101
Playbill listing : CAST
105
Character appearing twice in "Dumb and Dumber"? : SILENTB
107
Broadway passage : AISLE
111
Move up : ADVANCE
113
Chain that offers obedience training classes : PETCO
114
This puzzle's subject : OLYMPICFLAG
119
Fried rice add-in : ONION
120
"Drink," so to speak : OCEAN
121
They "wait for no man," in a saying : TIMEANDTIDE
122
___ law (P = IV) : WATTS
123
Certain coastal fliers : TERNS
124
"Uhh ... no thanks" : PASS
125
Scottish word in a holiday song : SYNE
126
Shade of gray : SLATE
Down
1
Penciled-in feature, perhaps : BROW
2
Poet Dove : RITA
3
Prefix with war or hero : ANTI
4
Pioneer in computer chess : IBM
5
Largest labor union in the U.S., in brief : NEA
6
Sloping surfaces : CANTS
7
Alpha ___ Majoris (star in the Big Dipper) : URSAE
8
Smacks (of) : REEKS
9
"Oppenheimer" director : NOLAN
10
Carl's wife in Pixar's "Up" : ELLIE
11
Sources of cashmere : GOATS
12
Make a big splash in diving, say : ERR
13
Bugs, e.g. : VWS
14
Brick that doesn't require mortar : LEGO
15
Hankerings : YENS
16
Failing that : ELSE
18
Crime boss John : GOTTI
19
Way shortened? : RTE
20
What corn holders are inserted into : COB
21
Muslim head covering : HIJAB
23
Prized violins, for short : STRADS
24
One of the stages of grief : DENIAL
27
Ultra-famous : HUGE
30
Inside lane on a track : ONE
31
Ailment whose name becomes an actress when its vowel is doubled : STREP
34
Indulge (oneself) : TREAT
35
Forever and ever : EON
36
Like some Mideast nationalism : PANARAB
37
Cattle-driving dispute : RANGEWAR
38
Architect ___ van der Rohe : MIES
39
Rock climber's handhold : CRAG
41
What "Meow!" might mean : IMHUNGRY
42
Manicurist's creation : NAILART
43
They fly somewhere over the rainbow : BLUEBIRDS
45
Democratic stronghold : BLUESTATE
46
Ostracized family member : BLACKSHEEP
47
Extorts from, in a way : BLACKMAILS
48
Raccoonlike mammal of China : REDPANDA
50
Phenomenon allegorized in "The Crucible" : REDSCARE
52
Droop : SAG
54
Movie f/x : CGI
56
It's not long. : LAT
57
___ Oyu, sixth-highest peak in the world : CHO
63
National park since 1872 : YELLOWSTONE
65
Milquetoast : YELLOWBELLY
66
Character who's told "We're all mad here" : ALICE
67
Creedence Clearwater Revival song named after a place "where cool water flows" : GREENRIVER
69
Dip made from tomatillos : GREENSALSA
72
Beat at an audition, maybe : OUTACT
74
Sushi eggs : ROE
75
Spice Girl Chisholm, casually : MEL
77
Acclaimed : HAILED
80
Political slogan of the 2000s : YESWECAN
83
Channel that gets audio only? : EARCANAL
85
Backing : FOR
86
Connection at Frankfurt Airport? : UND
87
Restroom in a pub : LOO
88
"Law & Order" spinoff, for short : SVU
91
Wooden shoe : SABOT
94
Linguist's concern : USAGE
95
Part of a woman's anatomy named for Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg : GSPOT
96
Jane Eyre, to the villainous Mrs. Reed : NIECE
97
Change, as one's clothes : ALTER
99
"The ___ true for …" : SAMES
100
Not at all light : HEFTY
102
Soul singer Baker : ANITA
103
Adam of TV's "Severance" : SCOTT
104
Like the atmosphere after an awkward joke : TENSE
106
Negative Nancy words? : NONS
108
Hoppy choices at happy hour : IPAS
109
Sermon topic : SIN
110
Some TV screens : LCDS
112
They may be renewed : VOWS
115
Flirty thing to bite : LIP
116
Sumac a.k.a. the "Peruvian Songbird" : YMA
117
Maya who designed the Museum of Chinese in America : LIN
118
Juice bar suffix : ADE

Answer summary:

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