PCC#32 "This Puzzle Sucks"
◆ · By Philip Chow · Published 2024-04-20T15:36:21.923Z
Meta Prompt
[Level 1] Meta Prompt: The answer to the meta is a video game character
There is a bar in this puzzle at 27-Down. No need to overanalyze this bar... it is NOT part of the meta puzzle... I simply couldn't find symmetric theme answers to use, so just decided to go with it. Like the title says, this puzzle sucks... 
Hint #1: There are 5 entries with a parenthetical number in their clues... these are the 5 theme entries
Hint #2: Can you figure out what they have in common? If you've done household chores before, it might be easier
Hint #3: They all contain vacuum cleaner brands
Hint #4: Consider the nth letter of the vacuum cleaner brand where n = number in parenthesis
Hint #5: If you circle the five letters, the answer can be read out in grid order
Checking for previous play data...
)1A
Carne ___ (limited time Chipotle protein option)
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Across
- 1ACarne ___ (limited time Chipotle protein option)
- 6A___ Arabia (country that buys sand from Australia even though most of its own terrain is desert!)
- 11ACouple of yuks
- 15ALike bad jokes or good tuna melts
- 17ALike mathematician Fibonacci, by birth
- 18ACabinet dept. with a sun, windmill, and atom, among other sources of power on its seal
- 19A"I just cracked the puzzle theme!" breakthrough (5)
- 21AChange for the better, in a way
- 22AKey of Debussy's "Clair de Lune"
- 23AGentle breezes
- 25AKissed with lots of tongue action
- 28A"Which lollipop" for "Philip Chow LOL"
- 30APicasso's "___ en azul (Woman dressed in blue)"
- 31AWhen you bet on "even" and the roulette ball lands on this number, you lose (WTF?!... how does that make mathematical sense?)
- 33ACrew
- 36ARockefeller or Lincoln, in NYC
- 37ANational Historic Landmark on the Arizona/Nevada border recognized for its engineering innovations (6)
- 40AOpposite of AAA on a Brannock device
- 41AMake less tight, as a belt after eating a large meal
- 43A"Two silkworms had a race. They both ended up in ___"
- 44AIsraeli city on the Gulf of Aqaba (hidden in "unveil a tombstone")
- 46ARented out, like many fleet cars
- 48AScotch ___ (very hot chili peppers used in West African and Caribbean cuisine)
- 50ADog breed that is a cross between a Pomeranian and a Poodle
- 52AOpera solos
- 53AIt's an example of itself
- 54ATheoretical physicist behind the thought experiment "Astrochicken," a small, self-replicating automaton that could explore space more efficiently than a crewed craft could (2)
- 60AGet thoroughly wet
- 61AA female kangaroo has two
- 62ALogic puzzle invented by a Japanese math teacher that now appears in newspapers all over the world
- 63ASmoking hot [Clue for the unchecked letter: What Twitter rebranded as]
- 64AMy ideal one consists of avocado, baby spinach, pistachio, extra avocado, corn, chickpeas, black beans, roasted red peppers, light balsamic vinaigrette
- 65ASay "Boo!" to, perhaps
Down
- 1D___ up your sleeve (hidden advantage)
- 2DMoo ___ pork (Chinese takeout dish served with pancakes)
- 3D___ Lingus (Irish carrier)
- 4D"Mashed Potato Time" singer Sharp with a repetitive name
- 5DSeek support (something I should get better at doing instead of trying to do everything myself and then getting stressed and overwhelmed)
- 6D"You missed a ___"
- 7DUltimate goal
- 8D"___ the Force, Luke" ("Star Wars" line)
- 9D"Hold me closer, Tony ___" (misheard lyric in an Elton John hit)
- 10DAcura model recently revived after a 16-year hiatus
- 11DDonkey's bray
- 12DCaptain of the 2022 US men's national ice hockey team at the Beijing Winter Olympics (2)
- 13DWill beneficiary
- 14DWord with "fine" or "visual"
- 16DManchurian border river whose name is one letter off from an Ivy League college
- 20D___ ball soup (Katz's Deli menu item)
- 24DSites for leisurely walks
- 25D2150, in Roman numerals
- 26DPrefix for "biography"
- 27D"Parks and Recreation" character that plays music at Leslie and Ben's wedding (5)
- 28DSharp narrow mountain ridge
- 29DEdible seaweed used for sushi
- 32D"___ Final Broadcast" (Broadway song with the lyric "Don't cry for me, Argentina")
- 34DTidy
- 35DUnderstands, as a joke
- 38DChant repeated in the cult classic "Freaks"
- 39DActress Messing of "Will & Grace"
- 42DRudely sarcastic
- 45DOn the same wavelength
- 47DMain artery from the heart
- 49DPig's grunt
- 50D"Not interested"
- 51DWoodwind resembling a heckelphone
- 52DSurrounded by
- 55DUnagi or anago, at a sushi bar
- 56DHistorical period
- 57DJamaican music genre
- 58D"___ the fields we go / Laughing all the way" ("Jingle Bells" lyrics)
- 59DSSW opposite, on a compass