UNIVERSAL CROSSWORD

Them’s the Breaks by Michele Govier, edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS

1 Plead

4 Opposite of post

7 Acting ensembles

12 “___ of these days ...” 13 Seydoux of “No Time to

Die”

14 College athlete, e.g. 15 Painting and sculpture

expos, say

18 Toyota sedan discontinued in 2022

19 Attire at some frat

parties

20 Flat-bottomed vessel 22 Hoppy beer, for short 23 Prominent part of an

aardvark

24 Sci-fi craft

25 Yelp user, at times

27 ___ Juarez (city south of

El Paso)

29 Feeling low

30 Public perception

33 Go it alone

37 Contented sound 38 “Spartacus” Oscar winner Peter 40 “Amazing!” 41 Frequent flyer’s reward 43 Mccartney’s songwriting partner

45 French Mrs. 46 Bakery-cafe chain 48 Heir to the family

fortune

50 Outrage

51 Certain rec centers 55 Young boy 56 Instant decaf brand 58 Loud burp

59 Make a minister 61 More consistent 63 Confidently and

courageously 64 Destinations for

ambulances: Abbr. 65 Seasonal illness 66 Toboggans, e.g. 67 Born as 68 “Groovy!”

DOWN

1 Sea vessels

2 Former energy company in business ethics case studies

3 Very beginning,

slangily

4 *Picnic cutlery 5 Camping gear seller 6 Airpod, e.g.

7 *Leaves nothing to

chance

8 Actress de Armas

9 With 32-Down, shared equally ... and a hint to a word hidden at the center of each starred clue’s answer 10 Movie cliche 11 Underwater navigation

tool

14 Pester

16 Dr. Anthony ___, prominent member of the coronavirus task force

17 *Places to see the big

game?

21 French sculptor hidden

in “retro diner” 26 Remote batteries,

usually

28 Mikhail Gorbachev was

its last leader: Abbr. 30 Lout

31 It’s between a birdie and

a bogey

32 See 9-Down

34 Hand (out)

35 London lavatory 36 Possess

39 Easy basket

42 Angsty music genre 44 Nominated

47 Tidy up

48 People who rarely

tidy up

49 Holiday song

52 Drop-off location? 53 Fast Amtrak train 54 Hydrangea or azalea 57 “___ questions?”

60 Find a sum

62 Before, poetically