NYT Crossword: solutions for Sunday, February 23

      The New York Times offers a variety of word games today, including Wordle, Connections, Strands, and the Mini Crossword, ensuring there’s something for everyone. However, the classic crossword puzzle remains the standout feature. The daily crossword is packed with fascinating trivia, enhances mental flexibility, and provides bragging rights if you complete it each day. Although the NYT puzzle can sometimes feel overwhelming, solving crosswords is a skill that improves with practice, so don’t be disheartened if you can’t fill in every single answer. If you're struggling with today’s NYT Crossword, we’re here to assist. Below are the answers to today’s clues:

      1. Lawyer’s title: Abbr. : ESQ

      2. Fish bait : CHUM

      3. Leader of filmdom’s Rebel Alliance : LEIA

      4. Options on some tests : ABCD

      5. Receive severe criticism : TAKE HEAT

      6. Blue-green shades : AQUAS

      7. Sound of a smooth-running engine : PURR

      8. Pig’s digs : PEN

      9. Locale where clovers bloom : LEA

      10. Forget to finish writing a clue, maybe : ERR

      11. Secret ___ : SAUCE

      12. Felt longing (for) : PINED

      13. Since Jan. 1 : YTD

      14. "C’est la vie" : SO BE IT

      15. Potato chip, to a Brit : CRISP

      16. Coiffure parts that are sometimes braided : RAT TAILS

      17. Complete nonsense : UTTER ROT

      18. Small mongooses : MEERKATS

      21. Creature that sounds like a snooze : BOAR

      24. Scarlett Johansson, Rami Malek or Vin Diesel (did you know?) : TWIN

      28. PalmPilots, e.g., for short : PDA'S

      30. Wish list items : WANTS

      31. Like some heels and hopes : HIGH

      32. Marriage equality activist Windsor, familiarly : EDIE

      33. “Perhaps. That’s something that interests me” : I MAY

      34. Disease that was the subject of the second Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1902) : MALARIA

      35. Yom Kippur observers, e.g. : ATONERS

      36. Amusingly incongruous outcomes : IRONIES

      37. Flood preventers : DIKES

      38. Hoots : RIOTS

      42. “Don’t worry about us” : WE'RE OK

      43. Lines of work : TRADES

      44. What locks are made of : HAIR

      45. Catherine ___, wife of Henry VIII : PARR

      47. Horse's behind : HAUNCH

      48. Protein powder ingredient : WHEY

      49. Aetna alternative : CIGNA

      53. “Unfortunately, that’s incorrect” : ALAS NO

      55. Many long-running TV shows : SOAPS

      56. Word processing selection : FORMAT

      57. Close : END

      58. Director’s directive : ACTION

      59. Most common coffee bean variety : ARABICA

      60. Love interest in a Hallmark movie, maybe : NICE GUY

      61. Walks unsteadily : TOTTERS

      64. “Monster ___” (1962 #1 song) : MASH

      68. i5 and X5 : BMWs

      69. Fraidy-cat : WIMP

      70. Soupçons : IOTAS

      71. Organized in a cabinet, say : FILED

      74. School before l’université : LYCÉE

      76. Not to be relied upon : SPURIOUS

      77. Singer whose 1985 song “Running Up That Hill” became a top 10 hit in 2022 after being featured on “Stranger Things” : KATE BUSH

      78. 110, facetiously : ELEVENTY

      79. Barbuda or Barbados : ISLE

      80. Shoddy : POOR

      81. Most dad jokes : PUNS

      82. Nickname for Milwaukee’s baseball team : BREW CREW

      84. Ocean in “Ocean’s Eleven” : TESS

      88. Like King Midas, notably : GREEDY

      90. Have a pity party : MOPE

      92. Google Sheets alternative : EXCEL

      93. Supply at the Hershey Company : CACAO

      94. City near Disney World, informally : O-TOWN

      95. ___ Beauty : ULTA

      96. Small wood : COPSE

      99. Fail ignominiously, as at the box office : TANK

      100. Rip off : HOSE

      101. “Lohengrin” soprano : ELSA

      102. Custardy treat : FLAN

      104. “Quiet!” : SHH

      105. Gender identity prefix : CIS

      106. With it :