September 1, 2025

Title: LABOR DAY

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• POOL PARTY (15A: Event with floats and noodles?)
• CONTRACT DISPUTE (37A: Argument over a signed agreement)
• MARKET LEADER (52A: Dominant company in an industry)

LABOR DAY: Each word of each theme answer can be paired with the word LABOR to create a new phrase: LABOR POOL, LABOR PARTY, LABOR CONTRACT, LABOR DISPUTE, LABOR MARKET, and LABOR LEADER.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• NES (43A: "Excitebike" console) Excitebike is a 1984 racing video game published by Nintendo for its Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Although I was not familiar with this particular game, I was able to easily infer the answer here, having seen NES multiple times in puzzles.
• MAYO (7D: Creamy drizzle on okonomiyaki) Okonomiyaki is a savory pancake that originated in Japan. It is often topped with Japanese MAYO, katsuobushi (bonito flakes), and pickled ginger.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ALPS (1A: Mountain range known for dairy) The ALPS are the most extensive and highest mountain range in Europe. The ALPS span eight countries: France, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia. The ALPS have long been associated with dairy farming. The area has become known for unique and highly prized dairy products, especially cheese.
• BANA (13A: "Hulk" star Eric) Eric BANA portrays the titular superhero in the 2003 movie Hulk. 
• POOL PARTY (15A: Event with floats and noodles?) This clue is not referencing a PARTY with root beer floats and pasta noodles (although, honestly, that sounds like my kind of gathering!), but rather a PARTY with POOL floats and POOL noodles.
• SPICY (21A: Like mapo tofu) Mapo tofu is a SPICY dish that originates from the Sichuan province of China. It consists of tofu (of course!), douban (fermented broad bean and chili paste), douchi (fermented black beans), and minced meat (often beef or pork).
• PSA (28A: "Save our planet" ad, e.g.) I liked the specificity of this clue, naming a specific category of PSAs (public service announcements). Here's a "save our planet" PSA titled "Wearing Thin." And here's another one called "Under the Weather."
• HAN (45A: World's largest ethnic group) HAN people are an ethnic group native to China that make up about 92% of China's population and 18% of the global population. The name for the people of this identity seems to have been inspired by China's HAN Dynasty, which was one of the first golden ages in Chinese history.
• SELLS (4D: Unloads on Craigslist) Craigslist is a classified ads website founded by Craig Newmark in the 1990s. It began as an email distribution list in the San Francisco Bay area, and is now a website that SELLS goods in 70 countries. It has been some time since I've taken a look at Craigslist, but I did once buy a trumpet for my daughter off of the site.
• SONIA (8D: Justice Sotomayor) SONIA Sotomayor has been an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court since 2009. SONIA Sotomayor self-identifies as a Nuyorican, a member of the Puerto Rican diaspora in and around New York City. She is the first Hispanic justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
• PAPER ROUTE (9D: Delivery job often done before sunrise) When I was in junior high, I had a PAPER ROUTE for about a year. Fortunately, the PAPER I delivered was an afternoon paper, rather than a morning paper. 
• DST (11D: It begins in March (Abbr.)) DST here is Daylight Saving Time. For states in the U.S. that observe DST, it begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.
• PEPPER (16D: Carolina Reaper, for one) Carolina Reaper PEPPERs have high capsaicin levels, making them exceptionally hot. From 2013 to 2023, the Carolina Reaper was recognized by Guinness World Records as the hottest chili PEPPER in the world. That title has since been claimed by PEPPER X.
• FARSI (20D: Language in Tehran) Tehran is the capital and largest city of Iran. FARSI is the national language of Iran.
• BTS (33D: "Life Goes On" K-pop group) "Life Goes On" is a 2020 song by the K-pop group BTS. The song was influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, and was written to impart a message of healing. The song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video for "Life Goes On" has scenes of BTS living together in isolation during the pandemic.
• GPS (36D: Tech that works via satellite) GPS, or Global Positioning System, is a satellite-based navigation system that operates independently of phone or Internet reception. I am extremely grateful for GPS and the mapping applications that use it to help make navigation easier.
• AMISH (49D: Pennsylvania Dutch group) Pennsylvania Dutch is a variation of German that is spoken by the Pennsylvania Dutch (an ethnic group in some regions of the U.S.), as well as some AMISH and Mennonite groups.
• KOBE (53D: Japanese city known for its beef) KOBE beef comes from a breed of cattle, Wagyu, that have been raised in Japan's Hyōgo Prefecture. It is considered a delicacy and is valued for its highly marbled texture.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• BAH (25A: "___! Humbug!")
• EVEN (64A: Like every leap year)
• AND WHAT NOT (29D: "Et cetera")

This is an appropriate puzzle for today. LABOR DAY, celebrated on the first Monday in September each year, has been a Federal holiday in the U.S. since 1894. One thing I noticed about the grid, which is unrelated to the theme but tickled my fancy, is that the two entries in the upper left differ by only one letter. This is also true for the two entries in the lower right corner. These ALPS / AMPS and LENT / RENT corners made me smile. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this enjoyable puzzle.