August 25, 2025

Title: ONE STEP AT A TIME

Constructor: Kareem Ayas

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• CRAWL SPACE (17A: Narrow access spot under a house)
• WALK A FINE LINE (37A: Tread carefully)
• RUN RAMPANT (61A: Spread quickly, in a wild way)

ONE STEP AT A TIME: In the first words of the theme answers we have a STEP progression: CRAWL → WALK → RUN.

And now a word from our constructor:

Kareem: This crossword was inspired by Geoffrey Schorkopf & Sally Hoelscher’s clever USA Today puzzle “At Last! Coffee!” from Aug. 11, 2024. I LOVE making USA Today puzzles because their themes are often simple but so varied and fun to come up with! But when I caught on to Geoffrey and Sally’s wonderfully bouncy theme, I realized I had never pitched a progression theme, so I got to work and luckily found something fun that hasn’t been done before! 😀

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• WALL (20A: Break the fourth ____) The fourth WALL refers to the convention observed in theater, movies, TV, video games, and literature that there is an imaginary barrier between the audience and the actors. While the audience can see through the fourth WALL, characters typically ignore the audience, focusing on the action on their side of the imagined barrier. Some performances "break" the fourth WALL, having characters address the audience.
• NBA (24A: Org. that regulates traveling?) My first thoughts here were TSA (Transportation Security Administration) or FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), but then I noticed the question mark. Ah, the clue is being tricky. The answer is NBA (National Basketball Association), the organization that regulates traveling with a basketball (taking more steps than allowed without dribbling).
• DVR (31A: Device for saving TV shows) I confidently plonked in VCR (videocassette recorder) until crossing answers pointed out to me that the answer was actually DVR (digital video recorder). Ha – now I feel old!
• BONITO (32A: Fish whose name comes from the Spanish and Portuguese word for "pretty") BONITO is a type of fish similar to the skipjack tuna. In fact, skipjack tuna is often referred to as BONITO. I've heard of BONITO before, but I was grateful for the "pretty" hint in the clue to get me on the right track.
• TOTS (43A: Target audience for "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood") Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood is an animated TV series aimed at preschoolers, aka TOTS. The show, which premiered in 2012, is based on the Neighborhood of Make-Believe from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968-2001). Each episode of the show focuses on a socio-emotional theme, such as disappointment or thankfulness, and songs are used to reinforce the theme.
• KOLA (55A: Nut that contains caffeine) The KOLA tree, on which the KOLA nut grows, is native to the tropical rainforests of Africa. Although KOLA nut extract was originally used as a source of caffeine in commercial cola drinks, most commercial colas no longer use it.
• EDIE (65A: "The Sopranos" star Falco) EDIE Falco is known for her portrayal of Carmela Soprano on the TV series The Sopranos (1999-2007). She won three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for this role (1999, 2001, 2003).
• NYC (1D: Manhattan's home, for short) Since 1898, New York City (NYC) has been subdivided into five boroughs, or governmental districts. The five boroughs of NYC are the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Manhattan is the smallest geographically of the five boroughs and the the most densely populated.
• SHAWARMA (3D: Meat often cooked on a rotating spit) SHAWARMA is a dish in Middle Eastern cuisine that consists of thinly sliced meat stacked in a cone-like shape and roasted on a spit. SHAWARMA is often served wrapped in pita bread.
• IOWA (4D: Des Moines' state) Hello from IOWA! Des Moines is the capital of IOWA. 
• UMP (6D: Person who works from home?) The question mark in the clue alerts us that the answer is not some type of remote office worker, but an UMP calling balls and strikes from behind home plate in a baseball game. 
• SLAV (18D: Bulgarian, e.g.) SLAVs are a group of people who speak any of the Slavic languages: Russian, Belarusian, Ukranian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, and Slovene. The Slavic people are the largest ethnographic-linguistic group in Europe.
• AUNTIE (46D: ___ Anne's (pretzel chain)) AUNTIE Anne's is a franchised chain of pretzel shops founded by Anne R. Beiler and her husband. AUNTIE Anne's started as a market stand in Downingtown, Pennsylvania in 1988 and has grown to 1,200 locations. AUNTIE Anne's is a staple store in airports, and AUNTIE Anne's pretzels are often my treat when I am waiting at an airport.
• LANAI (52D: Hawaiian veranda) A LANAI is a type of roofed porch or veranda with open sides. LANAI is also the name of one of the Hawaiian islands, the third-smallest of the eight main islands.
• RAP (62D: Best Melodic ___ Performance (Grammy category)) This year's winner of the Grammy Award for Best Melodic RAP Performance was Rapsody featuring Erykah Badu, for "3:AM."
• TED (64D: "Thank you for coming to my ___ Talk") The TED Conference, at which TED Talks originated, began in 1984, and has been held annually since 1990. Many TED Talks are available online with the tagline, "Ideas Change Everything." The phrase "Thank you for coming to my TED Talk," has gained a life of its own. You will sometimes see the phrase at the end of lengthy social media posts.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• ERR (30A: Spoil a movie ending for a friend, e.g.)
• LIAR (52A: Pinocchio, when his nose is growing)
• SKIP (69D: Word before "ad" on some YouTube videos)

I do enjoy a progression theme, and this is a fun one. (Happy to have played a small part in inspiring this puzzle.) Most (though not all) babies CRAWL before they WALK and then RUN. Thank you, Kareem, for this excellent puzzle.