Crossword No. 722:
Polling With Laughter
ACROSS
1 Italian sports car
5 King with a golden touch
10 Burn a bit, as steak
14 Reverse the effects of
15 Honda division
16 Hay you can sit on
17 This late-night comedy host hijacked a recent poll to successfully get the puteketeke named New Zealand’s Bird of the Century; he even went on Jimmy Fallon’s show dressed as one
19 God, in Guatemala
20 Modi leads this land
21 “That’s the ___ heard”
23 One of a fox’s 18
24 She donated $50,000 to Boston’s Horace Mann School for the Deaf in 2012 after it suspiciously won an online poll set up to choose a school where she’d play a concert
27 Rainy-day shoe
31 Old-time pharmacist Lilly
32 Old word meaning “uneven”
33 Peters of American Horror Story
37 D-sharp equivalent
41 When this absurd moniker won a hijacked 2016 poll to name a new U.K. research vessel, the result was (partly) honored: The name was given to one of the ship’s unmanned submersibles
44 Touch or taste, say
45 Note to a host
46 Old Italian money
47 “___ in ‘Isaac’”
49 Planting season tool
51 This soft drink’s online renaming poll was canceled in 2012 after leading suggestions included “Soda” and “Diabeetus”
57 Weekend getaway spot
58 Peninsula on the Red Sea
59 Show named for a region of the U.S.
64 “Like that would ever happen”
66 During Justin Bieber’s 2010 tour, 4Chan pranksters overwhelmed an online poll deciding where he should play a concert; this nation won handily. (Bieber declined to go)
68 Facebook’s parent company
69 ___ in (kisses goodnight)
70 “Will do, boss”
71 Object
72 Ferret-like animal
73 Beast ___ (unbeatable performance level)
DOWN
1 Sacred peak, in Shinto
2 Part of, as a conspiracy
3 Restless condition
4 Actress Collette
5 Bad start?
6 In an unfriendly way
7 Rival of Woods and Els
8 “You ___ Beautiful”
9 Thought-provoking Frenchman
10 Pot gummies ingredient 11 Port-au-Prince’s place
12 Hard to get to know
13 Fresh start
18 Honey Bunches of ___ (Post cereal)
22 Land in a stream, say
25 “Pardon me...” sound
26 ___ ball (it’s hit with a plastic bat)
27 Shoots the breeze 28 Lotion component
29 Arrangement of interest?
30 Decides to participate
34 It had REW and FWD buttons
35 Stomach sestet
36 Eleventh mo.
38 Put (down)
39 Any of Central Park’s 843
40 Sad drop
42 “The Stolen Child” poet
43 Domed recess
48 John, Paul, and George, but not Ringo
50 Furry Star Wars critter
51 City with many fashion shoots
52 Beginning
53 Join forces
54 Words on swinging doors
55 Start for state or trafficking
56 Mike who was da coach of Da Bears
60 Online meeting service
61 Pisa’s river
62 Harry for whom Las Vegas’ airport is named
63 Middleton or Moss
65 One’s peeps
67 Prez after FDR