I asked C.C. about our constructor, and she told me that she needs to see the Chinese characters to know more about the author; as far as we can tell, this is a debut - congratulations, and if you are reading this, then please feel free to chime in here at our Crossword Corner. I loved this puzzle - a fresh, clever, and humorous theme of common 'food' phrases reworked to be the fermented and/or cured, and therefore, "processed", versions of the produce. Five fills, one a spanner - the one that unlocked the theme for me - two 14- and two 9-letter fills, my only nit for the puzzle being the number of names. Standard grid, no circles, a low count of 19 3LWs, two tastes, two bad fill-in clues ( for me ) and two cowbells~! The themers;
17. Marine animal with a cylindrical body, once processed?: SEA PICKLE - this one is the outlier, with the "processed" part coming last - cucumbers, when processed ( in salt water, dill, etc. ) ferment and become "pickles - ergo, a Sea Cucumber would now be a Sea "Pickle" 😆😜
23. Dearly beloved, once processed?: CIDER OF ONE'S EYE = Apples, processed
36. Dolls that come with adoption papers, once processed?: KIMCHI PATCH KIDS = Cabbage, processed; more here, and a recipe - The dolls were the source of an insane toy stampede in the 80's
20. Mastercard alternative: VISA - credit card companies
22. Put together: BUILT
27. Airport security containers: BINS
28. Check a final time?: MATE - Ah. I missed the chess reference; filled via perps, but very clever
29. Words of defeat: "ILOST." - That's exactly what the king🠅said . . .
31. Commotion: STIR
33. "I Think You Should Leave" star Robinson: TIM - No clue. The movie sounds humorous; name #1
40. Wane: EBB - Does Batman "ebb" to Bruce Wayne~?
41. Spits bars: RAPS - Friday cluing, and sorta clever - rap, the music genre
Intergalactic - Beastie Boys
42. "__ Burr, Sir": AARON - it's still a name, dame, #2
43. Trampled (on): TROD
45. Lock screen display: TIME - as on one's smart phone
52. Readied a putt: AIMED - LIV golf was on the TVs at the gym last weekend; some controversy
53. __ tube: BOOB - slang for the "telly" - does anyone remember the movie "Groove Tube"~? I have mentioned it here at the Corner before
54. Fix unlawfully: RIG - elections, e.g.
59. The Eras Tour venue: ARENA - Taylor Swift, was, sadly (not~!), missing from this year's 2026 Super Bowl, as her fiancé did not make the playoffs 😁 - sorry KC fans . . .
66. Was a prelude (to): LED UP - Led Zep - excluding the "solos", which song is John Bonham's best performance~? My choice is this song - track one, Led Zeppelin I - see also 47D.
"Good Times, Bad Times"
2:45 of non-stop drumming density - More cowbell #1~!
DOWN:
1. Little bit: A TAD - Atwurd
2. Hocus-pocus: MAGIC - one of my "co-trainees" at the gym suggested Sarah J Maas as an author, so I am currently reading "Throne of Glass"
3. Condiment that adds strong, rich flavor, informally: UMAMI BOMB - new to me, but it has appeared in one other crossword . . . taste #2
5. Like Matt Smith's Doctor, on "Doctor Who": ELEVENTH - Despite having British parents, and being a hard-core Sci-Fi guy, I have never seen, or liked, [GASP] "Dr. Who" - name(ish) - the LIST
6. Sudeikis role: LASSO - Ted, that is, but another show I have never seen - name #4
7. Barley bundle: SHEAF - good WAG on my part
8. MiLB level: AAA - I did not know that Minor League Baseball was abbr this way
11. With little inflection: DULLY - "dull-ly" - not a word I would use in everyday convo - and then, whilst reading "Throne of Glass", I find the word not once, but twice - here's the first instance . . .
12. Largest Greek island: CRETE - geo name #6
15. "__ me!": "Comin' through!": " 'SCUSE~!" - Eliding over the "EK" part of excuse; not unique; in fact, it's not even a "rare" crossword fill . . .
18. "Suuuuure": "IBET."
21. April 15 org.: IRS - My "CPA" has my paperwork
24. __ jockey: DISC
25. Forgets, maybe: OMITS
26. Snitch (on): NARC - I do the Downs first, threw in "TELL"
29. Actor Barinholtz: IKE - name #7
30. Ad-__: LIB - Dah~! Got the wrong one #1 - not HOC
31. Fashion designer Kate: SPADE - the one name I did know, #8
32. Spigot: TAP - My favorite "TAP"
Nigel Tufnel, lead guitar, Spinal Tap
33. Michelin surface: TIRE TREAD - I like this clue/answer. It's not unique, either
34. Words of avowal: "IDO." - I 'DID' have this last week, too - I hope it's a sign of things to come
35. Bing portal: MSN - Bing being the search engine of MicroSoft Network - the Wiki
37. Wrinkle remover: IRON
38. Unpopular pet product?: HAIRBALL - Ha~! Clever clue; I tried NECK CONE - this thingy
He's faking it - theres' no way he would be that happy . . .
39. __ Sutra: KAMA - You can find the 'crossword position', chapter 18, section 5, verse 2 - here
43. Bird's sound: TWEET
44. Disposes (of): RIDS
45. Number of prongs on a bident: TWO
She's a "two-tining" woman
46. Short nails: TACKS - oops, not BRADS
47. Drum kit cymbals: HI-HAT - I play the drums, and the clue being "plural", I went with "RIDES" - the larger cymbal that sits "opposite" the Hi-Hat - which is a paired set of cymbals - in a kit
I added my drum set below, "backwards" for a lefty, like Phil Collins in Genesis; he switches from the Hi-Hat to the Ride @ 1:00 - my RIDE cymbal is low & inside the crash cymbal. More cowbell #2~!
48. Nail file material: EMERY
49. Only U.S. president born after 1960: OBAMA - OK, I knew this one as well - name #9
50. Place for a hat rack: FOYER
51. Holi celebrant: HINDU - Learned by doing crosswords; it occurred 4 March this year
