Universal Crossword

Across

1 Mental breakthrough 10 Car registration fig. 13 Certain parent and business owner

15 Cold stuff at a bar 16 Chocolatey cafe offerings

18 Animal on Ben & Jerry’s packaging 19 Approves

20 Twitches

21 “Available” or

“busy,” e.g.

23 “___ ___ a word” (grammar pedant’s ironic statement) 24 “Kindly help me ...” 25 “Mind blown!” 26 Retired supersonic passenger jet

27 Already watched

28 Rice field

29 Vote of approval 30 Chicken ___ (trattoria dish, informally)

31 New Mexico’s White ___ National Park 32 Anti-aircraft fire 33 Old-fashioned whiskey

34 Wander off

35 Served without 15-across 36 Thoroughly

38 Pozole, e.g.

39 They preceded

Gen Alpha

40 Show flexibility 41 Hammed it up

Down

1 Arsenal supply

2 What the letter J resembles

3 Some theaters 4 Dashboard fig. 5 Toastmasters’ skill 6 Actress Kanakaredes 7 Put into law

8 Clears after taxes 9 Famed Egyptian king 10 Auto racer’s celebration

11 “Food sounds fine” 12 What breaks before it should?

14 Forwards, perhaps 17 Her mum has got it going on, in a song 22 Hullabaloo 23 Throat-clearing sound

24 Mr. ___ (aptly named “Clue” victim)

25 “All hope is lost” 26 Artificial waterway

42 Exploding star

43 Nicki Minaj’s music genre

46 Fluffy dog, for short 47 Bygone Mediterranean superpower

50 Mine material

51 Many a mentalist, purportedly 52 Kennedy known as “The Lion of the Senate”

53 Run out of energy

27 “I’m sold!”

28 Tour de France’s terminus

30 Winner’s winnings 31 Influencer’s aspiration, often 32 “Family ___”

(game show)

34 Take the wheel 35 Z-listers

37 CPR pro

38 Intense

40 Alternatives to stocks 42 More micro than micro

43 ___ or die (really loyal friend)

44 Word before “rug” or “code” 45 Long-lasting hair wave

48 Army’s domain?

49 Bit of butter