Theme: Sticking to the recipe.
Earlier this year -- on Valentine's Day -- I wrote the blog post for another Daniel Hrynick crossword puzzle, which also had a food theme. How nice to be able to come back for seconds!
In today's puzzle, circles help us locate four food items that may be grilled when pierced with sticks or metal rods. Let's look at the reveal, and then at the answers where the food items appear.
14-Down. Stick on a grill, or what passes through this puzzle's circled words?: BARBECUE SKEWER. A barbecue skewer can be pushed through the food items in the theme answers.
16-Across. Rating scale on a film review site: THE TOMATO METER. The circled word is TOMATO, but the reference here is to https://www.rottentomatoes.com/ where movies are rated based on the percentage of positive reviews received from critics.
27-Across. Drink with zero calories and a blend of 23 flavors: DIET DR PEPPER. The circled word is PEPPER, but the clue refers to a soft drink. Diet Dr Pepper and regular Dr Pepper have the same 23 flavors, none of which are discernable to me.
50-Across. Wedding reception activity with flapping and clapping: CHICKEN DANCE. The circled word is CHICKEN, but the clue refers to a dance that became popular at American Oktoberfest events in the 1980s, and at weddings where polka music is played.
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| I was blissfully unaware of this activity until just now. |
63-Across. Devices that test internet security: WIFI PINEAPPLES. A WiFi Pineapple is a small, black device with several spikes, developed by Hak5. Positioned between your computer and router, it can inspect all the data moving from one to the other. On the downside, a hacker might use one to see the data moving from a server to a private device.
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| WiFi Pineapple -- who knew? |
Well, that was a tasty start to the puzzle, and I hope Misty thinks so, too!
Let's see what else is on the menu ...
Across:1. Pub delivery: ALE KEG.
7. Festoons: ADORNS.
13. Hailed lift: TAXI CAB.
15. Deeply religious: DEVOUT.
16. [Theme clue]
18. Biceps locale: ARM.
19. __ on the side of caution: ERR. Better safe than sorry!
20. Roam: ROVE.
21. Battleship piece: PEG. The game was originally played on paper grids, but Milton Bradley introduced a version with plastic boards and pegs in 1967. A player cannot see his opponent's fleet, but takes turns calling shots by grid location, with the objective of destroying the opposing player's ships.
24. Setting: BACKDROP.
27. [Theme clue]
31. Rest stop in a high-fantasy game: INN. I was thinking of Dungeons & Dragons, with various inns where characters meet, rest, and recover, but it turns out there are also fantasy games focused on running an inn, where a player can manage staff, upgrade the facility, and improve the menu.
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| Now I have to work in my fantasies, too. |
37. Like a bubble bath: SUDSY.
39. Tease (out): SUSS. To inspect or investigate so as to gain more knowledge; figure out.
41. Burkina __: West African country: FASO.
42. Harvested plants: CROP.
43. "The Last of Us" protagonist: JOEL.
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| Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller |
47. Decidedly meh: SO-SO. Neither very good nor very bad.
49. Pink Mr. Potato Head piece: EAR.
50. [Theme clue]
53. Steel on library racks: DANIELLE. Any Danielle Steel readers here? I haven't read her novels, but I found someone who did, and who summarized each one in 140 characters or less:
56. Young fellow: LAD.
57. Former NHL goalie Kölzig: OLAF. Currently coaching for the Washington Capitals.
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| Olaf Kölzig |
58. Shoemaker's tool: AWL.
60. Genetic testing material: DNA.
63. [Theme clue]
68. Goes in: ENTERS.
69. Skynet in "The Terminator," e.g.: ROGUE AI. When Artificial Intelligence goes awry.
70. Rental agreements: LEASES.
71. George's "Gravity" co-star: SANDRA. George Clooney and Sandra Bullock.
Down:
1. Chapati flour: ATTA. Atta girl (or boy) if you remember this word from previous puzzles.
2. Bert of "The Wizard of Oz": LAHR.
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| Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz. |
3. Spared (from): EXEMPT.
4. First-aid __: KIT.
5. Good for the planet, for short: ECO.
6. Risk or Trouble: GAME. When you're tired of playing Battleship, take a Risk on Trouble.
7. Big fuss: ADO.
8. JFK's party: DEM. John F. Kennedy was a Democrat.
9. Account action that may result in a fee: OVERDRAFT.
10. Drone part: ROTOR.
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| Drone with six rotors. |
11. New, in Mexico: NUEVO.
12. __ throat: STREP.
14. [Theme clue]
17. Atlanta hip-hop genre: TRAP. Trap is a subgenre of hip-hop music that gets its name from the Atlanta slang term "trap house," a house used exclusively to sell drugs. Nice.
22. Boundary-pushing: EDGY.
23. "Despicable Me" role for Steve Carell: GRU. Another cultural touchstone I've missed. But I like Steve Carell, best known for his role as Michael Scott on the NBC sitcom The Office from 2005–2011.
25. IRS form experts: CPAs.
26. Jeong of "Community": KEN. Ken Jeong is an American stand-up comedian and actor who rose to prominence for his roles in The Hangover film series (2009-2013) and in the NBC sitcom Community (2009-2015). He's been in a bunch of other films, too. Did you see Crazy Rich Asians (2018)?
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| Ken Jeong |
27. Burned items: DISCS. "Burning a disc" refers to the process of writing data onto a recordable or rewritable disc, such as a CD or DVD, using a laser. The process is called "burning" because it uses a laser to physically alter the surface of the disc, creating a pattern of marks that represent the data.
28. Accustom: INURE.
29. Finish with: END ON.
30. El __, Texas: PASO.
34. Actress Gillan: KAREN. Karen Gillan is a Scottish actress and filmmaker, who gained recognition for roles in the Doctor Who series, and eventually Hollywood films including some Marvel Cinematic Universe films, Jumanji, and others.
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| Karen Gillan |
35. Novelist Asimov: ISAAC.
36. "The Hunchback of __-Dame": NOTRE.
38. Indicates precisely: SPECIFIES.
40. Gin infusion fruit: SLOE.
43. Monopoly corner: JAIL. More fun and games!
44. Pop: SODA. Dr Pepper, anyone? 23 flavors! Where else are you going to get that many?
46. "Weekend Update" co-host: CHE. Michael Che is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. He's best known for his work on Saturday Night Live as co-anchor of "Weekend Update" with Colin Jost since 2014. From 2017–2022, the two were also co-head writers for the show.
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| Colin Jost and Michael Che |
48. "Weekend Update" program: SNL. See the previous entry -- Saturday Night Live.
51. Group with a tartan: CLAN.
52. Confused: ADDLED.
53. Wooden pin: DOWEL.
54. Flared skirt style: A-LINE. A skirt with a silhouette that is narrower at the top and gradually widens towards the hem, resembling the shape of a capital letter "A."
55. International pact until 2020: NAFTA.
59. China neighbor: LAOS.
61. Just around the corner: NEAR.
62. 59-Down's continent: ASIA. Laos's continent. China's, too.
64. Start to fix?: PRE. A prefix is added to the beginning of a word to produce a related word.
65. Research facility in orbit: Abbr.: ISS. The International Space Station (ISS) orbits Earth at an altitude of approximately 250 miles (400 kilometers). It travels at a speed of about 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 kilometers per hour), completing one orbit every 90 minutes. This means the ISS circles the Earth about 16 times a day.
66. Links gp.: PGA. A links golf course is built on sandy coastal land that offers a firmer playing surface than inland courses. PGA is the Professional Golfers' Association of America.
67. Many a one-liner: PUN. When this blog post is published, I'll be getting ready for our youngest daughter's wedding weekend. Everyone will be so emotional, even the cake will be in tiers.
