Scott Hogan makes his New York Times debut with this puzzle, after numerous submissions. He is a patent attorney from Midland, Michigan. Christina Iverson is a crossword builder and editor from Ames, Iowa. They met through the Cruciverb Facebook page, a forum for crossword builders. Scott says he’s inspired by the lyrics to ‘Movin’ On Up’, the theme song to ‘The Jeffersons’ – ‘It took a lot of tries, just to get up that hill.’ – WS
9 Reward for sitting, for example
20 Rocker John Whose Last Name Sounds Like A Leafy Vegetable
21 ”____ Man Chant”, song by Bob Marley and the Wailers
23 Where are stable relationships formed?
25 San Diego State Athlete
27 Name that’s 98-Across backwards
29 ”All the Light We Can’t ____” (2015 Pulitzer Award-winning novel)
32 Roman Emperor after Nero and Galba
34 piles of ”David Copperfield”
36 Drop the ”Donuts” from ”Dunkin’ Donuts”, for example
38 Certain four-year diplomas: Abr.
39 Type of attack without attacker
40 hits by Michael Jackson whose title is heard 88 times in the song
41 What could accompany a serious confession?
47 Cheese with a slight nutty flavor
52 Style of design influenced by cubism
53 Cloth often dyed with indigo
55 Each of its interior angles measures 135 degrees
62 Like a sweater that shrunk in the dryer, maybe
64 Its alphabet includes delta
65 Some Brothers Grimm Villains
79 Second word of many limerick
85 Meaning of a signal flare
88 2021 Aretha Franklin Biopic
92 Greek name meaning ”the golden one”
93 Something filmed at the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway, starring ”The”
95 Journalist Skeeter in the Harry Potter books
98 Name that’s 27-Across backwards
106 Intermediate family/species
107 The last thing you need?
109 Like the community portrayed in Netflix’s “Unorthodox”
115 Evian, in his native country
117 Cruciverbists’ favorite cookies?
124 Lab Assistant in ”Young Frankenstein”
125 It can be higher or lower
3 Banana brandished by a maestro at a pinch?
4 Drug that can be microdosed
6 Animated short film before a Pixar film?
7 New York resting place for Mark Twain
9 Give a scathing review of a major camera brand?
11 Compound with a fruity smell
13 The Mexican street food tycoon?
14 Pair of small hand drums
15 Defunct Company of Accounting Fraud Fame
16 Smaug, in ”The Hobbit”?
24 Is A 2010s Fashionable Dance
31 Pro using state-of-the-art technology?
33 Movie Rating That’s Virtually NC-17
45 God Whose Name Almost Sounds Like The Ammo He Uses
48 Where to find 122-Across
54 Move defended by Silence Breakers
63 Word after gas or ice, in astronomy
66 Magician’s name in books and movies
69 Type of patch that can create holes instead of repairing them
72 Otis and ____ (1960s R&B duo)
74 Response to ”Why are you uncomfortable?”
76 What Do Amazon Retirees Value Most?
78 Result of a thunderbolt?
79 What does a dog greet his returning family with?
83 Retail buyback program?
87 Annyeonghaseyo : Korean :: ____ : English
103 The actress Davis who was
the first African-American to win the Triple Crown
104 Beginning of a rough estimate
105 Like a proverbial beaver
