42 Across

NYT Daily • August 23, 2025

___ Hill

Answer:

SAM

Hint:

This first name belongs to a famous actor who played a time-traveling doctor in a 1993 film.

Explanation:

This clue is looking for a first name that fits before "Hill," and the answer is "SAM." It’s a straightforward fill-in-the-blank reference to Sam Hill, a common phrase used to express frustration or surprise (like "What in the sam hill?"). The name also ties to real people—like businessman Samuel Hill—but the clue relies more on the idiomatic phrase than a specific person.

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