UNIVERSAL CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ACROSS

1 Pitter-pattering precipitation 5 Discussion group 10 ___-driven programming 14 Alan of “Wanderlust” 15 Infuse (with) 16 Mastercard rival, for short 17 Stick to your own side, in politics 20 Neptune and Varuna 21 Egg dishes 22 ___Pen 23 Letter after zeta 24 Break political ranks ... and a hint to solving this puzzle’s five starred clues 31 Colorful carp 32 Organ between the lungs 33 Eggs in dishes 35 Site with film trivia 37 Words on Alice’s cake 38 “Money doesn’t ___ on trees!” 39 Hierarchy level 40 Cook, as banh te 41 Autumn tool 42 “Hit the road, Jack!” 44 “Battle of the ___” (2017 sports film) 45 *Spicy food in a corn husk 48 Like colts and boars 50 *Crumble 51 Give a speech 53 Chinese “way” 55 *How rotisserie chicken is roasted 56 Part of a peach or lychee 57 One who’s a big deal, briefly 60 Big head 61 *No social butterfly 62 Exploit 63 ___ mode (fuel-saving car feature) 64 Abbr. aptly on the left side of this grid 65 *Soaked, as tea 66 ___ XING (street sign) 67 Abbr. aptly on the right side of this grid

DOWN

1 Something an unsuccessful exterminator might shout? 2 Soothing balm 3 Creative notion 4 “SharkFest” channel, informally 5 They hold flaky desserts 6 Bands’ boosters 7 L.A. Clippers’ org. 8 Coin in Croatia 9 “I want to brawl!” 10 City near Fort Worth 11 Friend, in Cannes 12 Camp shelter 13 Gives the boot to 18 Moves like a frog 19 Cryptid in cold weather 24 “Calvin and Hobbes,” e.g. 25 Train passenger 26 Calf’s milk source 27 REALLY dislike 28 Funny Bombeck 29 Orange environmentalist of kid lit 30 Call to mind 31 Lions : cubs :: foxes : ___ 34 Knocks the socks off 36 Astronomer whose name is found backward in “safe harbor” 38 Fist-bump, say 43 The “M” of GM 44 On the schedule 46 Palindromic belief 47 Use a stencil 48 Clean, as a spill 49 Get out of bed 50 Gloom and ___ 52 Even once 53 TV coach Lasso 54 59, for Tracy Chapman 58 With 59-Down, frozen treat 59 See 58-Down