Sunday, May 31, 2026 |

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Jeffrey Martin0vic and Evan Park’s New York Times crossword, “Target Practice” — Nate’s write-up

05.31.2026 Sunday New York Times Crossword

22A: SWITZERLAND [Home of the legendary folk hero at 116-Across]
32A: MARKSMANSHIP [Expertise demonstrated by 116-Across in a fabled feat of precision]
41A: ARCHERY [Athletic skill mastered by 116-Across]
69A: THE BIG (APPLE) [City sobriquet that might describe the target for 116-Across, as depicted in this puzzle]
66A SPARROW contains an ARROW in the BOW hidden in 42D CLUB OWNER
91A: ROSSINI [Composer of an overture dedicated to 116-Across]
103A: SHOOTING STAR [Streaker in the night sky … or a punny description of 116-Across]
38D: FRUITFUL [Productive … or a punny description of the feat performed by 116-Across]
56A: TAKE A BOW [What 116-Across did before and after this puzzle’s feat?]
116A: WILLIAM TELL [Legendary figure who’s the subject of this puzzle]

I imagine that folks might be of two minds on this puzzle. On one hand, it was quite a quick solve, even with some slightly tougher NE and SW corners, thanks to largely smooth and clean fill.  The post-solve animation in the NYT app was cute, with an arrow being launched from the BOW / ARROW toward the (APPLE) rebus square.

On the other hand, a 21x puzzle having just one rebus square makes that rebus much harder to spot, and I’ll admit that I spun my wheels at that SN(APPLE) / THE BIG (APPLE) crossing for a while! In retrospect, the clue for 69A and the puzzle’s general theme should suggest an (APPLE) there, but I could only think of O for the center of a target and certainly couldn’t make the jump right away from SN? to SN(APPLE). I wonder if others had the same issue, and I wonder if a more specific hint, like [New York City sobriquet …] or [Drink company with facts on the bottoms of their lids] would have felt a little fairer in getting me to that lone rebus square?

Folks might also wonder why there’s a WILLIAM TELL tribute puzzle but, at the very least, it’s certainly an opportunity for a bunch of related puns. The no-duplicate purists will likely grumble, though, at the BOW dupe between the BOW highlighted in CLUB OWNER and the BOW in TAKE A BOW.

What did you think? TELL us whether this puzzle hit the target for you – and have a nice weekend. For those in the LGBTQ+ community and our allies – happy early Pride!