September 29, 2025

Title: BURNING QUESTIONS

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• MIND IF I SMOKE? (20A: Punny phrase on a pit master's apron, perhaps)
• GOT A LIGHT? (38A: Question from someone without matches)
• WHERE'S THE FIRE? (59A: "Why such a rush?")

BURNING QUESTIONS: Each theme answer is a QUESTION that relates to BURNING.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• OAK (33A: Most common type of wood in Minecraft) Minecraft is a sandbox game, a video game in which players have a chance to be creative and explore the world without a set objectives to accomplish. While exploring the world, players can discover and extract raw materials, craft tools, and build things. This much I knew, as I've written about the game several times. However, I have never played Minecraft. There's a limited number of three-letter trees, though, so a little help from crossing answers soon put me on the right track. In the game, OAK is found in a variety of biomes (as is true in real life). In total, there are 11 types of wood available in Minecraft: OAK, dark OAK, pale OAK, spruce, birch, jungle, acacia, mangrove, cherry, crimson, and warped. (Some sources say there are 12 types, and include bamboo.)
• JADEN (9D: "After Earth" actor Smith) After Earth is a 2013 sci-fi action adventure movie. The movie occurs in a post-apocalyptic future in which humans have evacuated Earth to another planet due to a massive environmental catastrophe. Real-life father and son, Will Smith and JADEN Smith, portray a father and son whose spaceship crash-lands on the abandoned Earth.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• JULY (9A: Disability Pride Month) Disability Pride Month is observed worldwide in JULY. The observance began in the U.S. as a way to commemorate the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in July 1990. Disability Pride Month celebrates people with disabilities and seeks to end the stigma of disability and promote disability as a part of human diversity.
• OREOS (14A: The "dirt" in dirt cake, often) Crushed OREOS make a pretty convincing, and much tastier, stand-in for dirt.
• ASIA (16A: Yangtze River's continent) The Yangtze River, which flows through China (which is in ASIA), is the third longest river in the world, following the Nile and the Amazon. ASIA is making its fourth appearance of the month today. Although this is the 16th time we've seen ASIA this year, September is the first month in 2025 that the word has appeared four times. (All this means is that I like data!)
• ADONIS (49A: Mortal lover of Aphrodite) I surprised myself by being able to pull this Greek mythology knowledge out of my brain while solving the puzzle. In Greek mythology, ADONIS was a mortal who was the lover of the goddess Aphrodite (the goddess of love). ADONIS – who was considered strikingly handsome – was the subject of a custody battle between Aphrodite and Persephone (the queen of the underworld). Zeus settled the dispute by ruling that ADONIS would spend one-third of the year with Aphrodite, one-third with Persephone, and one-third with whomever he chose.
• TUB (54A: Rubber duckie's spot) and ERNIE (6D: "Rubber Duckie" singer) You know I enjoyed this pair of clues! Here's a link to ERNIE singing "Rubber Duckie," in case you need that in your day. (You do, you really do!)
• AREA (62A: About 344 square miles, for Berlin) I enjoy this type of clue for the frequent crossword answer AREA. Berlin is the capital of Germany. With an AREA of 344 square miles, Berlin is half the size of Sucre, the constitutional and judicial capital of Bolivia (683 square miles) and about twice as big as Conakry, the capital of Guinea (170 square miles).
• FETT (70A: "Star Wars" bounty hunter Boba) Boba FETT's first appearance in the Star Wars franchise was not in any of the movies, but rather in The Star Wars Holiday Special, a TV special released in 1978, a year after the first movie. Overall the TV special didn't fare well with fans, but an animated sequence featuring the bounty hunter Boba FETT was well-received. Boba FETT went on to feature in The Empire Strikes Back (1983) and Return of the Jedi (1983) and in the prequel trilogy (1999-2005). In 2021 Disney+ released a miniseries that features Boba FETT, The Book of Boba FETT.
• EVEN PAR (3D: Score after two birdies and two bogeys) In golf, a birdie is a score of one under PAR and a bogey is a score of one more than PAR. Therefore, after two birdies and two bogeys a golfer's score would be EVEN PAR. 
• VEGAN (30D: Like almond cheese) Almond cheese is a VEGAN alternative for cheese. It can be made by blending blanched almonds with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and water. 
• STL (37D: Missouri Botanical Garden city (Abbr.)) The Missouri Botanical Garden is the second-largest botanical garden in North America; only the New York Botanical Garden is bigger. The Missouri Botanical Garden, also referred to as Shaw's Garden for its founder Henry Shaw, occupies 79 acres in St. Louis (STL, for short). The garden includes a geodesic dome conservatory called the Climatron, a Japanese strolling garden, a children's garden and play area, and a fountain area, as well as Henry Shaw's original 1850 estate home.
• TIKI BAR (46D: Place to order a Bahama Mama) A Bahama Mama is a rum-based cocktail with a tropical flavor. It is often made with coconut rum, dark rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, and grenadine.
• SEINE (56D: River near the Louvre) The SEINE, a river in northern France, flows through Paris. The Louvre, located in Paris on the banks of the SEINE, is the world's most-visited museum. Among the artworks on display at the Louvre are Leonardo da Vinci's painting, Mona Lisa, and Alexandros of Antioch's sculpture, Venus de Milo. 
• REO (63D: ___ Speedwagon) Why yes, I am going to take this opportunity to link to a couple of REO Speedwagon songs. How about: "Keep on Loving You" (1980) and "Can't Fight This Feeling" (1984). You may choose your earworm.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• SPRY (37A: Like someone still gardening at 93)
• SNORING (15D: Making "honk shoo honk shoo" sounds)
• I DO (21D: Words that cue a ring exchange)

I did not have a good guess about the theme from the title. It didn't take long to catch on, however. Once I filled in "MIND IF I SMOKE?," I thought, "Aha! That's a BURNING QUESTION." I enjoyed this literal interpretation of the metaphorical phrase BURNING QUESTIONS. Here's a fun thing: We saw WHERE'S THE FIRE as a theme answer in a puzzle early this month (that had a completely different theme). Thank you, Zhouqin, for this delightful puzzle.