August 4, 2025

Title: GUZZLE PUZZLE

Constructor: David Karp

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Theme synopsis:

• MELLO YELLO (17A: Mountain Dew alternative)
• PALE ALE (26A: Malty beer)
• PINK DRINK (38A: Starbucks' strawberry-and-acai beverage)
• HALF CAF (53A: Coffee that only gives a slight jolt)
• MANGO TANGO (64A: Tropical cocktail)

GUZZLE PUZZLE: Each theme answer in this PUZZLE is a beverage (that one might GUZZLE) with a rhyming name.

And now a word from our constructor:

David: Inspiration for crossword puzzles can come in unexpected places. The idea for this one came while waiting in line at a Starbucks drive-thru, noticing 38-Across on the menu and pondering whether there were any other rhyming drinks. Ones that didn't make the cut include FINE WINE, SNAPPLE APPLE and MINUTE MAID LEMONADE. If readers think of any others, please note them in the comments section.

Finally, a hat tip to ChatGPT, which suggested the title for today's crossword. I've been experimenting

with AI to see if it's helpful in designing puzzles — I've found it generally isn't — but this was a pleasant

exception and an improvement over my original title "Leverage Your Beverage."

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• OVAL (16A: Australian football field's shape) In Australian football, two teams of 18 players each, compete on an OVAL field. Throwing the football is not allowed in Australian football. Instead, the ball is moved by running with it (while intermittently bouncing or touching it on the ground), kicking it, or handballing it (a punching technique used for passing). Add this to the list of sports information I've learned from crosswords.
• PINK DRINK (38A: Starbucks' strawberry-and-acai beverage) I'm not a regular Starbucks' customer, so I haven't seen the PINK DRINK advertised. In addition to strawberry and açaí, PINK DRINK also features passionfruit and coconut milk.
• ERIKA (27D: "Living Single" actress Alexander) Living Single is a TV sitcom that originally aired on Fox from 1993-1998. The show centered on six single friends in their 20s living in Brooklyn. ERIKA Alexander portrayed Maxine "Max" Felice Shaw, who worked as an attorney.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• DATA (19A: Numbers that may be mined) and RSVP (20A: Letters on an invitation) A nice "numbers" and '"letters" combo in these consecutive clues.
• OTTERS (24A: Marine mammals with fur) and SEAL (50A: Marine mammal with fur) Furry marine mammals are well represented in today's puzzle.
• ABBA (44A: First Swedish band to win Eurovision) The Eurovision Song Contest has been held annually since 1956 (except for 2020). Sweden first entered Eurovision in 1958, and in 1976, ABBA won Eurovision with their song "Waterloo." To date, Sweden has won the contest a total of seven times and is tied with Ireland for the most Eurovision wins. 
• ALI (52A: Boxer nicknamed "The People's Champion") Muhammad ALI (1942-2016) was a professional boxer. His nicknames included "The People's Champion," "The Greatest," and "Louisville Lip."
• KARAT (58A: Gold purity measurement) The KARAT is a unit of purity for gold alloys. Pure gold is 24-KARAT. 100% purity of gold is difficult to obtain, but 24-KARAT gold must be 99.95% pure. Since gold alloys are measured using a 24-part system, 18-KARAT gold is 18 parts gold and 6 parts another metal. I knew the answer here, but I had to stop for a moment to remember that this type of KARAT is spelled with a K, not a C.
• MANGO TANGO (64A: Tropical cocktail) When I googled "MANGO TANGO drink" I discovered there's not a single definitive recipe for a MANGO TANGO, but rather many variations. In addition to MANGO, a MANGO TANGO might include coconut, orange juice, lime, and or strawberry.
• SHOW (70A: West End production) There are approximately 40 theaters in London's West End, which means plenty of opportunities to catch a SHOW. 
• TIM (1D: "The Wild Thornberrys" voice actor Curry) The Wild Thornberrys is an animated TV series that portrays the life of the Thornberrys, a family of wildlife documentary filmmakers. It originally aired on Nickelodeon from 1998-2004. Sir Nigel Archibald Thornberry – voiced by TIM Curry – is the dad of the family and the host of the nature documentaries. 
• INERTIA (2D: Principle in Newton's first law) Newton's laws of motion were first described by Isaac Newton in his 1687 work Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica. The laws describe the relationship between the movement of an object and the forces acting on it. Newton's first law concerns INERTIA and is summarized as: An object at rest will remain at rest unless it is acted upon by an outside force. 
• NFL STAR (3D: Travis Kelce, e.g.) NFL STAR Travis Kelce has played football for the Kansas City Chiefs since 2013. The Chiefs have won three Super Bowls during that time.
• PAY (5D: Settle a debt) and OWES (6D: Has a debt) I appreciate the choice to clue these consecutive entries in a parallel manner.
• GOD (9D: Brahma or Vishnu) Brahma (the creator) and Vishnu (the preserver) are two parts of the Hindu holy trinity, the three primary GODs in Hinduism. Shiva (the destroyer) rounds out the trinity.
• NATALIE (11D: Actress Portman) NATALIE Portman's acting credits include the roles of Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars franchise, Jacqueline Kennedy in the 2016 movie Jackie, and Jane Foster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• SEAN (25D: Tony-winning actor Hayes) SEAN Hayes won a 2023 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play for the role of Oscar Levant in the 2023 Broadway play Good Night, Oscar. This SHOW – with SEAN Hayes playing Oscar Levant – is currently in production in London's West End until September 21, 2025. 
• PHARAOH (41D: Ruler such as Ramses II) PHARAOH is the title used for monarchs in ancient Egypt. Ramses II (c. 1303 BCE-1213 BCE) is also known as Ramses the Great. He was PHARAOH from 1279 BCE until his death in 1213 BCE.
• ORLANDO (42D: City with Florida's busiest airport) That busy airport is the ORLANDO International Airport. Its airport code is MCO, which comes from its former name, McCoy Air Force Base.
• BLOGGER (46D: Person making online posts) Oh, look, it's me!
• AIR (47D: Breathe it in!) The exclamation point at the end of the clue alerts solvers to interpret the clue literally. AIR is literally breathed in.
• ONE (565D: It's 50/50?) The question mark in this clue is a hint that there's something tricky going on. Instead of 50/50 representing a 50% chance, the 50/50 is being treated as a fraction, which is equivalent to ONE, since any fraction of a number over itself equals ONE.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• GANG (9A: The "Peanuts" ___ (Charlie Brown's group))
• LIFE (71A: Collecting 100 coins earns you an extra one in many Mario games)
• HIDES (31D: Avoids the seeker, in a playground game)

I was intrigued by this puzzle's title. I really didn't have a good guess about what the theme might be. Uncovering MELLO YELLO provided me with a nice "Aha!" moment. It was fun to uncover five theme answers, all with a different rhyming sound. Thank you, David, for this super duper puzzle.